NEWS RELEASES
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Miami Herald's website.
Monroe County officials stressed Tuesday that there are no plans at the emoment to shut down the only major highway into the Florida Keys as part of the effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Monroe Mayor Heather Carruthers said shutting down U.S. 1 in Florida City would lead to logistical problems. 30 percent of first responders working in the Keys live in Miami-Dade County, and 60 percent of property owners are not full-time residents.
Miami Herald writer, David Goodhue, relays in his article, "Keys residents, especially those who live in the Upper and Middle Keys, also travel to and from the mainland on a regular basis for work and to buy supplies. Putting a checkpoint in Florida City to verify people have legitimate reasons to come to Monroe County would create an undue burden, Carruthers said." County officials say highway travel is down by half compared to what it should be this time of year, the peak of the busy winter tourist season. And tourists have largely stopped flying into the Key West International Airport.
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