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- Thousands of people descended on Miami Beach this month to celebrate spring break.
- Officials declared a state of emergency and set an 8 p.m. curfew Saturday, citing unruly crowds.
- Large groups have gathered without masks or distancing, and have also clashed with police.
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The city of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency Saturday after thousands of people descended on the spring break hotspot, as the state tries to balance drawing tourism and COVID-19 precautions.
Officials also set a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Saturday night, with tourists expected to remain indoors during the curfew hours. It's unclear how long the curfew will last, though Mayor Dan Gelber said in a news conference it would be in effect for at least 72 hours.
Overwhelming and out-of-control crowds were blamed for the response. Interim City Manager Raul Aguila told the Miami Herald the "crowds are in the thousands."
"We're at capacity," Aguila said.
-Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 20, 2021
The decision came after weeks of unruly spring break crowds clashing with police, The Herald reported. People have damaged restaurants, brawled in the streets, and gathered without masks or social distancing, officials said. On March 12, police fired pepper spray balls to disperse a South Beach crowd, which was captured in a widely shared video.
Florida has been working to increase tourism, the state's top industry, after the pandemic resulted in millions of dollars in losses, the Associated Press reported.
But local officials have also taken steps to mitigate the partying, including sending a warning text to tourists that said "Vacation Responsibly or Be Arrested," according to the AP.
