Key West Enacts New Year’s Curfew

Key West Mayor Teri Johnston, after an extensive discussion at Thursday’s City Commission meeting, has enacted an emergency ordinance providing for a curfew in order to avoid a public health emergency during the New Year’s holiday.

The directive reads: “Commencing on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 10 p.m. and terminating on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at 6:00 a.m., a curfew is hereby imposed for the City of Key West, effective from 10:00 p.m. each night through 6 a.m. the next morning. All non-essential businesses shall close on or before 10 p.m. each night. Persons shall be in their residences or lodging establishments no later than 10:30 p.m. each night. During the period of such curfew, no person shall make use of any street or sidewalk for any purpose, except police, fire rescue, first responder, medical, health care, media, and utility repair service personnel.”

The curfew will not apply to people returning directly to their homes from work at essential establishments or going directly to work at essential establishments from their homes; people making deliveries from essential establishments; people walking their dogs within 250 feet of their residences; and those traveling to or from any religious service.