Coronavirus Petri Dish Mar-a-Lago Shutters as Florida Governor Orders Palm Beach Businesses to Close
WE’RE CLOSED
President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort closed its doors on Friday, The New York Times reports. The closure comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that called for non-essential businesses and beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties to close due to the coronavirus. According to The Miami Herald, all bars, clubs, and restaurants that have seating for over 10 people must shut down their on-premises services. Movie theaters, auditoriums, playhouses, arcades, fitness studios, gyms, and beaches were also ordered shuttered. The order is reportedly in effect until March 31, but the county governments will reportedly be able to “enforce, relax, modify or remove these closures as they see fit.” Essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations or convenience stores will be permitted to stay open during the closure order.
The Times reports that the Trump Organization is doing what it can to limit the amount of staff cuts it will have to make amid local and state mandates in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Several people who visited Mar-a-lago earlier this month—including two Brazilian officials who attended a dinner with President Jair Bolsonaro and Trump—were later confirmed to have the virus. The resort was reportedly operating at half-capacity before Friday, the Palm Beach Daily News reports.