City of Miramar Issues Order for Individuals to Wear Face Coverings to Limit the Spread of the Coronavirus

Miramar, FL–Miramar City Manager, Vernon Hargray on Tuesday issued an Order requiring all individuals to wear a nose and mouth covering in public. This includes all employees and customers of grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies and restaurants. All individuals providing delivery services are also required to wear a form of covering over their noses and mouths while making deliveries.

City Manager Hargray stated, “COVID-19 continues to be a concern due to increases in the number of positive cases within the City of Miramar.In order to limit its potential community spread, it is now necessary for the City to implement further restrictions for the general health, safety, and welfare of the community.”

This follows the “Safer at Home” order issued by the City on March 27th, advising residents to stay home. This is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that everyone “wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain”.

These coverings include a face mask, homemade mask, or other cloth covering, such as a scarf, bandana, handkerchief or other similar cloth covering.  In addition to the requirements applicable to grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies and restaurants, employees and customers of all other essential retail and commercial establishments are strongly encouraged to wear a form of covering over the nose and mouth.

1. All essential retail and commercial establishments are strongly encouraged to implement policies for employees to use other personal protective equipment, such as gloves, subject to the availability of such items.
2. The order does not apply to any outdoor activity permitted under any applicable City, County, or State order, but applies to persons providing delivery services.
3. Employees or customers are not restricted from accessing any essential retail or commercial establishment to address any emergency or other exigent circumstance, even if a covering over the nose and mouth is not readily accessible at the time of such emergency or other exigent circumstance.
4. Medical and surgical face masks, such as "N95" masks or other similar medical or surgical masks, are in short supply and should be reserved for healthcare personnel and other first responders with the greatest need for such personal protective equipment. Persons are encouraged to review and comply with the CDC and Florida Department of Health guidelines on personal protective equipment, including with respect to the use of a medical or surgical face mask, such as an "N95" mask or other similar medical or surgical mask.

All essential businesses are encouraged, subject to availability of necessary sanitizing products, to:

1. Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers for use by customers and employees;
2. Provide disinfecting wipes at points of entrance, cash registers, and/or other appropriate locations, for customers to disinfect carts, shopping baskets, or point of sale terminals, or, alternatively designate staff responsible for disinfecting carts, shopping baskets, point of sale terminals, and other areas as frequently as possible; and
3. Implement procedures for custodial or janitorial staff to sanitize frequent touchpoints throughout the day, including point of sale terminals at registers, conveyor belts, door handles, door plates, shelves, and other appropriate locations.

The Order is effective 12:01 a.m. on April 8, 2020 and shall remain in full force and effect until terminated.

 For more information and updates, visit MiramarFl.gov/Coronavirus.