Miami business owners anxious for Zika warnings to end

Business owners are anxious for federal health officials to lift a travel advisory warning pregnant women and their partners to avoid parts of Miami and South Beach that have been identified as zones of active transmission of the Zika virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it could lift its advisory for a 1-square-mile zone encompassing Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood on Sept. 19 if no new locally contracted cases are confirmed.

Business owners and analysts say if Zika infections persist in Miami and a 1.5-square-mile portion of Miami Beach, visitors who have been waiting to make reservations in MiamiDade County may turn elsewhere. The Wynwood Business Improvement District has asked the city of Miami for money to compensate for Zika’s impact.

Cancellations since the first local Zika infection was confirmed in Wynwood in late July have forced Felipe Correa to lay off one employee from his company running tours in Miami, Key West and the Everglades. “My Miami tour basically collapsed ... all of my pre-arrival reservations canceled,” said Correa. Connecticut resident Coco Lewis decided to move her annual birthday party from South Beach to Las Vegas next month because of Zika.

“We don’t want to chance it,” said Lewis, 23. “It’s just too risky.” South Florida’s luxury real estate market, already slumping because of weak foreign currencies, is reporting cancellations by potential buyers from New York and Europe. “Zika is a deal-breaker for clients who plan to have children,” said Senada Adzem of brokerage Douglas Elliman.

The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has classified all Miami-Dade County as an area of “widespread transmission.” The United Kingdom has advised pregnant women to avoid the county for non-essential travel and consider postponing non-essential travel in the rest of Florida.

In August, leisure airfare prices fell 17 percent year-overyear at Miami International Airport and Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport, according to an analysis by Harrell Associates. Hotel bookings in greater downtown Miami fell by nearly 3 percent in the first three weeks of August compared to last year, according to data collected by analytics firm Smith Travel Report.

It’s not clear how much of that decline is attributable to Zika. Zika infection can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including a dangerously small head, if women are infected during pregnancy. The mosquito-borne virus also can be sexually transmitted.

Of Florida’s 56 non-travel-related Zika cases, 11 have been traced to Miami Beach and 29 to Wynwood. The rest are being considered isolated cases and have not prompted authorities to issue warnings of local transmission. Miami-Dade County officials expect to spend an extra $10 million fighting Zika through the summer. The city of Miami approved $247,000 for special events meant to draw customers back to Wynwood. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is surveying local businesses about economic damage related to Zika.

Miami Beach officials are hoping to minimize Zika’s effect on the local economy. Hotels regularly spray for mosquitoes, and planes fly over the beach with banners reading, “Use insect repellent. No Zika.”

Critics have been troubled by the release of information about Zika infections by Gov. Rick Scott and state agencies, saying not enough details have been provided about where infections are suspected and that the number of tourists contracting the virus in Florida may be under-reported.

Florida’s health department told The Miami Herald that residents have contracted Zika in Florida but are not included in the state’s total count of local Zika infections. “The department reports cases of Florida residents,” spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said. As of Friday, health officials have confirmed 616 travel-related Zika cases statewide, including 84 pregnant women. — AP