NEWS: Florida Governor Announces Phase One of Reopening Florida to Begin May 4th

As Florida approaches the end of its initial stay-at-home order tomorrow, April 30th, Governor DeSantis announced yesterday that he would be making an announcement regarding a reopening date for the state.

Today, Governor DeSantis gave an announcement for how the state would proceed with the start of reopening going forward.

The Florida governor has stated that the state will not extend its stay-at-home order. Instead, DeSantis announced that Florida will enter “Phase One” of the reopening process, otherwise known as the “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step Plan.” Phase One will begin on Monday, May 4th, 2020, but will exclude Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties until further notice.

In Phase One, if the local government allows it, retail locations can operate at 25% of indoor capacity. Restaurants may offer outdoor seating as long as there is six feet of space between tables, and indoor seating must be kept at 25% capacity.

While some local communities have required the use of face masks, DeSantis mentioned that people will not be fined for not using face masks. In terms of Florida’s next steps, the Governor said that Florida’s next steps will be data driven to move into phase two. He said that this “Does not need to take months”, but instead should be “based on health metrics.”

Governor DeSantis had made the decision following meetings of the Reopen Florida Task Force, which includes Disney World’s President Josh D’Amaro. The task force held meetings on a regular business to discuss the possible protocols and measures needed in order to safely reopen the state.

The announcement of the state’s reopening will help to guide what is discussed going forward at the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, which has begun meeting to discuss guidelines for the county, including the Orlando theme parks such as Disney World.

We will keep you up to date as this story continues to develop.

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