Miami-Dade County will be lifting several COVID-related safety policies related to masking, hospital reporting and employee testing, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Friday.
Levine Cava said the county would be transitioning to a response plan helping it go from crisis mode to safety mode.
“I’m proud to share that we’ve been on a steady decline and our positivity average is now 5%, in addition to a significant decrease in hospitalizations. This extraordinary news is a direct result of our community having the highest vaccination rate in the state and above the national average," Levine Cava said.
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The use of face masks will no longer be required in Miami-Dade County buildings. The mask requirement at Miami-Dade courthouses was immediately rescinded right after Levine Cava's announcement. Masks are still required at Miami International Airport, the Seaport and on all public transportation per federal guidelines.
Hospitals are no longer required to submit daily reporting of COVID patients. Non-bargaining county employees will no longer be required to do weekly COVID-19 tests.
Levine Cava outlined the "Our BEST Plan" which aims at providing a proactive response to moving forward, including boosters, education, staying home if sick and testing when exposed or symptomatic.
“Together, we learned so much in the last two years and it’s time to take that knowledge - rooted in science and data - and use it to be more proactive and adaptive against this evolving pandemic,” she said. “The COVID-19 vaccine remains the single best tool we have to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our entire community from serious illness, hospitalization, or worse.”
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