Miami Beach officials are continuing their fight against the Zika virus amid concerns about flooding and standing water in the area that could come with the impending storms forecasted for South Florida this week.
Crews continue to spray the areas inside the city's "transmission zone," located between 8th and 28th streets. Officials have also been going door to door in the area, reminding residents and business owners to make sure they get rid of any standing water — one of the places that mosquitoes like to propogate — as well as other areas on their property that could aid in their spread.
A $1,000 fine is issued for the first offense, with a $2,000 for each additional time standing water is found.
Five people in the area were found to have non-travel related cases of Zika over a week ago, causing the Centers for Disease Control to advise people to avoid the area amid concerns of the virus spreading. It was the same warning issued for the Wynwood area north of downtown Miami, where the first non-travel related cases were discovered in July.
So far, 43 locally transmitted cases of the virus have been confirmed in the United States, all in Florida, as of Friday.
Meanwhile, Governor Rick Scott is travelling to Palm Beach County to hold another roundtable discussion after a second locally transmitted case of the Zika virus was reported there.
Scott has been touring the state, hosting Zika virus events for weeks, including a roundtable discussion with officials on Miami Beach this past Friday.
