Traveling: Miami In Times Of Covid-19 Pandemic

 (Drivebycuriosity) - My wife and I are traveling again, Covid-19 or not. Fortunately we both got the amazing Moderna mRNA vaccine, one got both doses, the other the first. Traveling without incubation would be like playing Russian Roulette, there are too many risks.

We are staying in Miami, the second time since December 2017. Life in the metropolis looks almost normal but people wear masks in public places, including supermarkets, apparently enforced by he operators. Some also wear masks on the streets and other open spaces. This is surprising because plenty of UV light and high temperatures (high 80s F/30 C) reduce the risk of an outdoor infection significantly. Anyway Florida has more contemporary positive cases than New York State, in spite of the favorable weather (worldometers cnn). I seems that the lax Florida rules (by governor Ron De Santis) - especially for indoor gatherings - support the spread. I noticed  (through big windows) that the gyms are crowded with people without face covering. 

Fortunately the hotel in the Financial District, where we stayed first, and the condominium in the Design District, where we had an Airbnb flat,  required face covering. Unfortunately many tourists behave idiotic and ignore social distancing. I noticed crowds squeezing into the hotel lifts and it was difficult and not always successful to stop covidiots to jump into the lift we took. No surprise, pandemics need idiots, without them they would end in months (like in China).

We continued to dine outdoor, which we had done weekly in New York City since July 2020. We even visited pubs with outdoor serving, the first time since March 2020. Outdoor dining is normal in Miami, every restaurant, cafe & bar has at least a patio, thanks to the almost tropical climate (they grow coconut palms here).  Miami`s restaurant didn`t need to create makeshift outdoor places to protect from winterly conditions. which are blocking streets & pedestrian ways in New York City. Fortunately we got an outdoor table at Komodo, a fancy Asian place, which attracted a huge crowd who preferred to sit inside. 

I really enjoyed the city. Miami looks modern, fresh and clean, the city is much newer than good old New York City, which looks run down on many place. Someday, when the pandemic is over, we might come back.