Despite the current global pandemic, tourists continue to travel to Miami, causing a significant rise in COVID-19 cases. Unless there is an emergency reason to travel to Miami, tourists have no reason to go on vacation during a pandemic. 

Miami, already a densely populated city with a high and rising number of COVID-19 cases, has no space for tourists during a pandemic. Although Miami has restrictions and a mask mandate, the streets and beaches of Miami look as if a pandemic never happened. If you drive down Ocean Drive, you can see large groups of people at restaurants, with no space between them and masks off. As a resident of Miami, I want this pandemic to come to an end, but as long as people keep coming to the city and spreading the virus, this may not happen anytime soon. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, traveling increases your chance of getting the virus, meaning people should avoid unnecessary trips at all costs. The nonessential trips these people take to Miami have indirectly caused a rise in COVID-19 cases.

The tourists coming to Miami risk more than just their own health; they risk spreading the virus to others around them. Instead of acting thoughtlessly and coming to our city, stay home and find something to entertain you while remaining safe. 

Even though the Florida Department of Health allows traveling to Florida, tourists have the responsibility to recognize how their actions have consequences. Residents of Miami have to deal with the rise in cases once you leave and go back home. 

Although your ignorance may blind you, your trip to Miami during a pandemic holds less importance than the effect your traveling has on our lives.