Miami’s final Zika hot zone has been lifted

Governor Rick Scott lifted the last Zika hot zone remaining in Florida on Friday when he announced the area on South Beach between 8th Street and 28th Street has been cleared.

“I am proud to announce that the remaining Miami Beach area has been cleared of any ongoing active transmission of the Zika virus,” Scott said. “This means that Florida does not have any identified areas with active Zika transmission, which is incredible news for the Miami Beach community and our entire state.”

The timing couldn’t be better for restaurants and hotels, as we head into the heart of Miami’s tourism season while temperatures are at their lowest. It’s been over 45 days without a confirmed case, allowing the Governor to lift the designation.

“We just have to be diligent because this is a fact of life that we have to live with,” added Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, “and we want to make sure that we don’t have the same situation next summer.”

Miami’s battle against the Zika virus has been a messy one, with local officials declaring state authorities were urging them to keep the transmission areas confidential. The Miami Herald had to file a lawsuit to get Miami-Dade leaders to unveil the locations of the traps where Zika-infected mosquitos were captured.

Meanwhile, the decision to spray Naled on Miami Beach as a counter-attack was a controversial decision, something over 94 percent of our readers were against.

Thankfully, it’s all over. For now.