The NBC 6 newsroom has been contacted by people with questions about what should and shouldn’t be open – and what’s considered essential in the recent emergency orders.
A lot of the stores are closed right now, but some places like restaurants are open as they are considered essential along with a long list of other types of businesses.
“We did lock our office to the general public, we do have a cart that people can leave things, basically a mailbox that people can leave things, we open the window and talk to them,” said Kevin Tacher from Independence Title in Fort Lauderdale, one of the few businesses still able to operate after executive orders from both Broward and Miami-Dade issued closures.
“We are really trying to figure this out day by day, every time someone issues something new, as to if we are allowed to be open or not allowed to be open,” he added.
Our NBC 6 News team has received phone calls from viewers questioning if construction sites should be operating – the quick answer is yes. To figure out what is and isn’t allowed to operate, you have to take into account not only the emergency order issued by the county you are in but also any orders issued by your city.
“If you are a business owner and your city is saying to you that you have to shut down, then you would have to shut down in that city,” said Broward County Commissioner Dr. Barbara Sharief.
Healthcare providers, pharmacies, grocery stores, and gas stations can still operate along with a long list of other businesses too like banks, hardware stores, contractors and child care services.
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“We’ve seen in some cities where the police officers are driving around knocking on doors and saying ‘you are considered a non-essential business, please close’”, Sharief added.
According to Broward’s emergency order, any business with less than five people can stay open as long as they do not deal with the general public and follow proper social distancing guidelines.
