Gyms and stores re-open, restaurants allowed 50%

Posted on May 20, 2020

“Full Phase One” of Governor Ron DeSantis’ “SAFE. SMART. STEP-BY-STEP” plan to re-open Florida went into effect on Monday, May 18, allowing gyms, retail stores and restaurants to operate up to 50% capacity.

DeSantis announced the step from “initial phase one” to “full phase one” at a press conference in Jacksonville on Friday, May 15, stating this next step would include “some of the things we could have done, but did not do initially.”

Gyms and fitness centers, which were forced to close their doors, are now permitted to operate up to 50% capacity, so long as members self-sanitize machines and surfaces after use.

Additionally, restaurants and retailers may increase indoor capacity from 25% to 50% with proper social distancing. For restaurants, outdoor seating is still encouraged, with no limitations on seating as long as proper social distancing guidelines are followed.

Bars and movie theaters still remain closed at this time.

Barber shops and hair and nail salons were permitted to re-open on May 11, so long as they adhere to proper safety protocols, such as wearing face masks.

While vacation rentals were previously prohibited, DeSantis is now allowing counties to seek approval to operate vacation rentals by submitting a written request and a “county vacation safety plan” to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

When contacted Tuesday, County Administrator LaWanda Pemberton said the local county commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m. to discuss the topic of short-term rentals.

Long-term health care facilities are still prohibited from allowing visitors. Hospitals are also required to test all individuals for the coronavirus (COVID-19) before discharging them to long-term care facilities.

“Full phase one” is one step in DeSantis’ multi-phase plan to re-open Florida after he issued a state-wide “Safer At Home” executive order on April 1 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to DeSantis, Florida “saw the bulk of our cases in April,” but “we never really rocketed high like other states. It has always been manageable here in Florida.”

“I think this (full phase one) is appropriate given the progress Florida has made…Everyone is committed to being smart and safe, but they want to move forward,” DeSantis said.

“The American people never signed up for a perpetual shelter in place, and we need to be able to get society functioning again,” DeSantis said.

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