It’s Friday, July 3rd - and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced that he is issuing a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. countywide curfew that will take effect on Friday until further notice.
Only essential workers, including first responders, hospital workers, food delivery services and media personnel are exempt. Gimenez said that the curfew is meant to stop people from "venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown to be spreading the virus rapidly."
No. 2 - Florida reported more than 10,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time Thursday, a milestone that is six times higher than where the daily record stood less than a month ago.
With 10,109 new COVID-19 cases, the state’s total rose to 169,106, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health. The state has seen a large increase in cases in the past week, with more than 55,000 confirmed in that span of time, about 33% of the state's total. Florida also reported 67 deaths Thursday for the second time in a week, as the seven-day average for daily fatalities is now back over 40, a 30% increase from two weeks ago.
No. 3 - An 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade who recently died from complications related to the coronavirus is Florida’s youngest known fatality linked to the virus.
Daequan Wimberly died Tuesday, according to a report from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner. Wimberly’s father said his son, who was a child with special needs, did have other health complications, but he was a fighter. To hear more from the family of Daequan, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Alyssa Hyman.
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No. 4 - The Miami-Dade School Board unanimously approved a reopening of schools plan Wednesday night, which gives students and parents several options, ranging from distance learning at home to coming back to school full time.
How do teachers feel about going back to the classroom and facing students during a pandemic? While some may want to go back, it’s not an easy decision for every teacher. Click here for an Education on 6 report from NBC 6’s Ari Odzer.
No. 5 - The pandemic may have cut this year's list of Fourth of July events short, but there are still several options for viewing fireworks displays in person or from home in South Florida this year.
NBC 6 has a complete list of locations in both Miami-Dade and Broward where you can see the rockets and red glare of Independence Day. Click here for the list of where you can see fireworks across the area.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, you'll need a cool drink and an umbrella with temperatures and rain chances increasing for the July 4th weekend in South Florida. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
