A square mile in Miami’s Little Haiti and Liberty City neighborhoods is now an active Zika transmission zone, Gov. Rick Scott announced on Thursday.
Areas of active Zika transmission (click to enlarge)
The Florida Department of Health confirmed five cases in the area, bound by Northwest 79th and Northwest 69th streets to the north and south, and Northwest 10th and North Miami Avenue to the west and east. Two of the individuals work in or visited that square mile, and the other three are residents there.
That means Miami-Dade is back to two zones where the Zika virus is being actively transmitted, including Miami Beach.
In late September, Scott announced Wynwood was Zika-free, days after state health officials expanded a second Zika zone in Miami Beach, extending to 63th Street.
In Wynwood, last month’s announcement was a relief to property owners, restaurant owners and other tenants who were experiencing a decline in foot traffic and business since the first cases of the virus — which causes birth defects in unborn fetuses — were reported in late July. The neighborhood was the first community in the continental U.S. impacted by locally transmitted Zika.
News of the virus in South Florida has already impacted the hospitality industry, with several hotels reporting cancellations and fewer bookings. – Katherine Kallergis