Florida's DeSantis lifts coronavirus lockdown for remaining Miami-Dade, Broward counties
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Broward and Miami-Dade counties would enter Phase 1 of reopening next week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
That means all counties in Florida will have begun the reopening process. His decision takes effect on May 18. Broward and Miami-Dade were the last two counties in the Sunshine State where restaurant dining rooms and other nonessential businesses remained shuttered in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“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.
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“Miami-Dade and Broward have both submitted plans that I’ve approved,” DeSantis said. “Today we take another important step for a very important part of the state of Florida. What they’re proposing will be authorized starting Monday.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeSantis, a Republican, said in a press conference alongside Broward County Mayor Dale Holeness and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez in Doral that he was following President Trump’s recommendations to reopen the state.
The governor approved a plan submitted by Gimenez to allow restaurants and retail stores in Miami-Dade County to reopen at 50 percent capacity – double the 25 percent limit in other parts of the state, the Miami Herald reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They've progressed nicely in terms of dealing with the epidemic. If you look at the case numbers and the percentage of new individuals testing positive in Miami-Dade, it's far below in the last 10 days what it was in the beginning of April," DeSantis said.
"The trends have been positive, the work has been effective," he said. "We understood that we have a responsibility to move forward in a safe, smart, and step-by-step approach."
South Florida was once the hotspot of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. Florida, as of Thursday, has recorded at least 43,210 confirmed cases, with 1,875 deaths. Nearly 610,000 people have been tested.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In Broward County, at least 6,057 people tested positive, while at least 267 died, according to the state department of health. At least 1,185 COVID-19 patients required hospitalization.
In Miami-Dade County, at least 14,742 have tested positive and at least 535 have died. At least 2,299 COVID-19 patients required hospitalization.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Under the state's new reopening guidelines, hair salons and barbershops must have clients wait outside before a chair opens. Both visitors and employees must wear masks while inside office buildings. Businesses must prevent the use of all water fountains and are required to clean bathrooms and elevators every two to three hours, the Herald reported.
“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,” Gimenez said, according to WSVN. “I want to make it abundantly clear that we’re not talking about opening all businesses yet.”
Larger cities in Miami-Dade County, including Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, and Miami Gardens, will not allow retail stores and restaurant dining areas to reopen Monday. Retailers in those cities can reopen on May 20. Restaurants will be allowed to begin seating customers in their dining rooms on May 27, the Herald reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miami-Dade County beaches, hotels, bars, nightclubs, concert venues, and movie theaters are not included in Phase 1 of reopening and must, therefore, remain closed, WSVN reported.
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Holeness said Broward and Miami-Dade counties will likely reopen beaches at the same time, explaining “if we open one section of the beach or one city, and the others are not open, then we'll have a crowd and we'll get back to where we don't want to be,” WTVJ reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeSantis said reopening will not look the same in both counties. Unlike in Miami-Dade County, Holeness said Broward has cleared apartment complexes and homeowners associations to reopen gyms.