Rick Scott says Wynwood no longer an active Zika zone

The Zika zone has been lifted.

Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood was no longer considered a zone of active Zika transmission. In a statement, Scott said the state was able to lift the zone because it has been 45 days since there was evidence of active Zika transmission in the area.

“Over the past few weeks, Floridians have worked together to prevent the spread of mosquitoes, take proper precautions to protect one another, and support local businesses in Wynwood,” said Scott in a statement. “We saw the success of this hard work each time we announced a reduction of the zone in Wynwood, and we see it clearly today now that the entire Wynwood zone has been lifted. This would not have been possible without aggressive mosquito control measures, outreach to the community, education efforts, and the vigilant actions of the residents and businesses in Wynwood.”

State health officials in July said the trendy arts district north of downtown Miami was the first place in the mainland U.S. to have mosquitoes transmitting the virus to people. As of Friday, 835 cases of Zika were reported in Florida. According to the Department of Health, 79 of those cases were locally transmitted and 86 involved pregnant women.

The cases put the Wynwood neighborhood in the spotlight, and the CDC issued a travel warning telling pregnant women to stay away from the area. On Monday, Scott called on Floridians to travel to the neighborhood to “help this incredible Florida community to recover.”

Scott announced the state is hosting “Dine Out Wynwood” on Sept. 30 to “celebrate and show our support for local businesses in this area.”

“I encourage everyone to travel to Wynwood and join me in visiting the many great local restaurants and businesses. We must also all do our part to remain vigilant and keep the Wynwood zone lifted,” said Scott in a statement. “Everyone must continue to take precautions by dumping standing water and wearing bug spray so we can protect pregnant women who are most at-risk for the Zika virus.”

While the Wynwood zone has been lifted, health officials last week announced they were expanding an active zone in Miami Beach. The revised zone is now about 4.5 square miles.

Scott has criticized the federal government for its slow response to Zika. He traveled to Washington, D.C., to encourage federal lawmakers to pass a $1.1 billion Zika funding bill. And on Friday, he announced the state was allocating an additional $10 million to combat the spread of the mosquito-borne virus.

“(The) federal government still cannot agree on spending money to stomp out this serious disease. Florida may have been the first location to have locally transmitted Zika, but we will not be the last. Zika is a national issue and I expect Congress to immediately pass a funding bill,” said Scott. “While Floridians deserve the support of the federal government, we will not hesitate to take action to protect our families and visitors, especially pregnant women and their growing babies.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.