TALLAHASSEE, Fla — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that the state will go into phase one of reopening its economy beginning Monday, May 4. Here are the top four things you need to know about phase one.
What's reopening, resuming
DeSantis said elective surgeries can resume and that restaurants that were closed can reopen. Restaurants may offer outdoor seating with six-foot space between tables, and indoor seating will be at 25% capacity.
Retail stores can also operate at 25% indoor capacity.
What's staying closed
While restaurants can reopen with social distancing in mind, bars are to remain closed. Gyms and personal services, such as hair and nail salons, will also remain closed.
School campuses will stay closed and students will continue distance learning.
Social distancing is still the norm
Elderly and immunocompromised people should still avoid close contact with people outside their homes. Anyone -- whether vulnerable or not -- should still maximize physical distance from others, the governor said, and people should still avoid socializing in groups of more than 10. Face masks are still recommended for anyone in face-to-face interactions or in situations where they can't social distance.
Visits to senior living facilities will remain prohibited.
Some Florida counties are excluded from phase one
For now, the reopening process will exclude southeast Florida counties, namely Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, which have seen the highest rates of COVID-19 in the state.
"These counties have seen the lion's share of this pandemic but they are trending in a positive direction," DeSantis said. "I am working with them and will continue to work them and I do believe that they will be able to move to phase one very soon."
The full news conference announcing Florida's reopening can be viewed below: