MIAMI beach goers are blatantly ignoring the city Major’s order that everyone should wear facemasks as coronavirus infections and death rockets across Florida.
The decision comes as the sunshine state surpasses 100,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 3,173 deaths.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced the facemask rule at an emergency press conference as the number of coronavirus deaths in the city reached 874 with more than 26,000 infected.
He said: "We've seen an increasingly troubling trend of cases that continue to escalate, and that's why [wearing face masks has] become a public requirement."
Anyone that fails to comply with the mask rule could be subject to a fine.
But despite this, photographs show the rule was clearly being flouted on Miami’s packed beaches which have reopened this month.
Free face masks will be dished out to residents who live in zip codes 33146, 33125 and 33126, where Covid-19 is rampant.
The mayors emphasized that businesses must be part of the solution by requiring patrons to abide by local safety guidelines, such as wearing face masks and social distancing.
While there is currently no plan to roll back business reopenings, cities will consider another shutdown if virus cases continue to spike, the mayors said.
He said: “If we get to a point where the healthcare system is overrun, we'll have to consider everything.
"We want to take every step we can to prevent business closures and the devastating effect it had on the economy and business owners."
Miami-Dade County shopping centers, hair salons and restaurants and more were allowed to open.
But they only half the numbers into their stores capacity in May, following nearly two months of lockdown closures.
Gyms, which are potential hotspots for transmissions, reopened in June along with beaches.
Last week, Suarez announced the city will delay phase three business re-openings, which includes bars, movie theaters and nightclubs.
No date has been set for when those businesses will be allowed to open.
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