What to Know
- Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida is moving into a "full phase one" reopening Monday
- DeSantis said restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to expand indoor capacity from 25% up to 50%
- Gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to reopen Monday with social distancing and sanitization measures in place
Florida will be loosening more restrictions on capacity inside restaurants and retail stores Monday, while also allowing gyms and fitness centers to reopen.
At a news conference in Jacksonville Friday, Gov. Ron Desantis said Florida would be moving to a "full phase one" reopening Monday as the state continues its slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
CORONAVIRUS LATEST
DeSantis said restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to expand indoor capacity from 25% up to 50% starting Monday. Museums and libraries will also be able to operate at 50% capacity.
Gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to reopen Monday with social distancing and sanitization measures in place. DeSantis said bars and movie theaters would remain closed for the time being.
"I think everyone's committed to being smart and being safe," DeSantis said.
The latest figures from the Florida Department of Health showed 43,210 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,875 virus-related deaths statewide.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade and Broward, the two Florida counties hit hardest by coronavirus infections, will begin slowly reopening Monday, with restaurants and retail shops allowed to bring in customers at a limited capacity.
Spas, bars, gyms, beaches, movie theaters, bowling alleys and similar businesses will still be closed in the two counties, officials said.
As Florida reopens, 10 state-supported drive-thru testing sites and four state-supported walk-up testing sites will be closed Friday through Sunday as a low pressure system was expected to hit the state. The testing sites, located in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Brevard and Volusia counties, are expected to reopen Monday.
