Gov. Ron DeSantis has laid out a plan Wednesday to reopen Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came just one day after the state tallied an additional 83 COVID-19 deaths, marking its biggest spike in daily fatalities since the crisis began.
The governor told reporters Florida will enter "phase 1" of reopening its economy starting Monday, but urged the public to continue practicing social distancing measures until further notice. As part of the initial phase, Florida will ease restrictions on restaurants and retail businesses, which will be allowed to operate at 25 percent in-door capacity. DeSantis said under the new guidelines, eateries will be permitted to offer outside dinning as long as patrons maintain the recommended 6 feet of physical distance.
"Outdoor transmission, as far as we've seen, has been more difficult than the indoor climate controlled transition," he told reporters.
DeSantis' executive order will also allow elective surgeries to resume; however, schools, bars, salons, gyms, and movie theaters will remained closed until further notice. Visiting nursing homes and senior living facilities was also prohibited.
The Republican lawmaker also told Floridians to avoid social gatherings where physical distancing is difficulty. He also encouraged the public to wear masks whenever possible, especially when conducting face-to-face business.
"What is our biggest obstacle? Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear sparked by doom and gloom and hysteria that has permeated our culture for the last six weeks," DeSantis said. "There is a lot that's been done to try to promote fear, to promote worst-case scenarios and to drive hysteria. That worst-case thinking has not proven to be true."
The "phase 1" guidelines will be implemented in every county on May 4, with exception to Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. DeSantis said those areas have the highest rates of COVID-19 infections, which is why they will enter "phase 1" at a later date.
As of Wednesday, Florida more than 33,000 coronavirus cases and over 1,200 deaths.
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