Related
DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved Miami-Dade and Broward’s request to reopen.
The governor made the announcement during a press conference in Doral, Thursday.
“Today, I have signed an executive order that grants the requests from both Miami-Dade and Broward to move them into phase one of the reopening for the State of Florida,” DeSantis said. “What they’re proposing will be authorized starting Monday.”
Both counties had been awaiting a response as they worked on guidelines for reopening as early as Monday.
Miami-Dade released a draft of its guidelines on Wednesday. The draft provided rules and guidance for hotels, restaurants, retailers and personal grooming businesses.
“We are going into phase one beginning this upcoming Wednesday,” said City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Suarez said the decision to reopen Miami slower than other parts of Florida is data driven as officials are focusing on the number of new cases and hospitalizations.
“To make sure that A) Our residents understand the 185 pages of rules that were just approved yesterday. B) We want to see how the county roll out happens to see if there’s any adjustments that we need to make,” said Suarez, “and C) We want to give our residents and our business owners an opportunity to get ready for the opening.”
Broward County released its guidelines to reopen on Thursday.
The reopenings in Miami-Dade County will depend on where residents live. While the county is allowing some businesses to open on Monday, some cities, such as Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Hialeah, are waiting until Wednesday to ease up restrictions.
“We don’t want them to just open,” said Suarez. “We want them to open with the right protocols.”
Restaurants, malls, shops, hair salons, nail salons and barber shops will be allowed to reopen starting on Monday. Businesses will be required to provide hand sanitizer and clean their spaces thoroughly, along with requirements specific to each business.
The Spot Classic Barber Shop will be among a number of businesses reopening Monday. Under the new rules, customers will have to wait outside of the business until it is their turn.
“It’s been a difficult time, but we’re excited,” Mike Risco, the business’ COO, said. “We’re taking all the right steps to open up again and be safe for everyone.”
Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater will reopen next week under the now approved plan, and mall officials are targeting to reopen with restrictions on Wednesday. Shoppers will have to practice social distancing, as the mall operates under a “new normal.”
“We got to remind them of the importance of keeping separation, of the importance of wearing face masks,” Pete Marrero, the mall’s general manager, said.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez expressed his confidence that South Florida can open safely while receiving a tour of Dolphin Mall. The mayor said come Monday night, residents can find him going out for dinner.
“I’ll find a restaurant somewhere in Miami-Dade, and there’s a lot of restaurants in Miami-Dade I can go to,” he said.
Under Gimenez’s plan, restaurants would operate at no more than 50% capacity, bar counters will remain closed, and a maximum of four customers will be allowed per table. Parties of up to six customers will be allowed if they live in the same household.
While inside restaurants, customers must wear masks, except at tables, and each menu will be only used once. Condiments will also be single-use, and customers will use disposable or “roll-up silverware.”
“On Monday, we will be ready to advance to the yellow stage of our new normal. This will include the limited openings of nonessential businesses and facilities such as restaurants, warehouses, manufacturing, office buildings and a specific list of small businesses,” said Gimenez. “I want to make it abundantly clear that we’re not talking about opening all businesses yet.”
DeSantis said the new guidelines can be easily taken away if people do not follow the new rules.
“We can’t take our eye off the ball,” DeSantis said. “The virus is still here.”
Miami-Dade beaches, hotels, bars, nightclubs, concert venues and movie theaters would remain closed in the initial reopening phase.
Broward Mayor Dale Holness said both counties will work together to reopen beaches at the same time.
“The consensus from our mayors in our call yesterday is that we wait until at least the 26th before we do any opening of the beaches,” he said. “In Broward County, we’re going to be uniform. All municipalities in Broward County is on board.”
As South Florida gets ready for phase one, state, county and city leaders all agree.
“If we don’t respect the guidelines, if we don’t respect the rules, we can very very quickly return back to where we were,” said Suarez, “and, unfortunately, have to reclose things, and that’s something that we want to avoid.”
Suarez said restaurants in Miami will reopen May 27 to make sure there is enough time to get all the necessary supplies and protocols in place.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.