MIAMI (WSVN) - Florida saw a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases Tuesday after Gov. Ron DeSantis forced the entire state into Phase 3 of the reopening plan last week.
This means that bars, restaurants and nightclubs will be allowed to reopen for the first time in months, but some South Florida residents aren’t ready to go back out because of potential outbreaks.
“It’s when people are especially inebriated, they’re not paying attention, they’re not washing their hands, and everything you touch is a potential spread, so I don’t think we’re ready yet,” said health care professional Breana Caturano.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez acknowledged that bars are allowed to be open under Phase 3 but said that several COVID-19 guidelines are still in effect, among them mask citations.
“Just because we can open up more businesses doesn’t mean that we can relax public health rules that have gotten us to this better place during this pandemic,” said Gimenez.
Gimenez said that people must practice social distancing inside of bars and restaurants, and they must wear a mask lest they be issued a citation, even if they’re on the dance floor at clubs.
“Public health rules remain, that means bars can’t have people crowded around their counters. They still need to have a social distance as close to 6 feet apart as possible. They can’t have people eating and drinking while walking around, and they must be seated at a table or bar counter to eat and drink,” Gimenez said. “Even on the dancefloor at clubs, we are requiring masks.”
Although the governor suspended payment of fines associated with wearing masks, they have been suspended with this emergency order. That means officers throughout Miami-Dade County can still issue citations, but once the emergency order expires, the county can resume collecting the money from people they fined for not wearing masks.
City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez gave the same guidance at a press conference Tuesday.
“But the county will still be issuing citations, which will be collected once the governor’s order is over,” he said.
Suarez also said he expressed concerns that the rush to reopen businesses will give people the false impression that the pandemic is over.
“I have expressed concerns that this acceleration could send the wrong message that COVID-19 is no longer a threat in our community,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 3,266 new cases of the coronavirus, with more than 704,000 total cases confirmed.
Despite criticism from health experts, DeSantis said he stands by his decision to loosen restrictions. He points to the opening of theme parks, sporting events and other large venues that have allowed people to gather as proof that his plan is working.
“We had all this going on and have still seen the big declines in hospitalizations and COVID-like illness,” he said.
Gimenez said that if there is a spike in new COVID-19 cases, he would have to reach out to DeSantis and hope that he would reconsider the emergency order and close down the businesses that are now open.
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