[title]
Your favorite restaurant might reopen sooner than you expected.
This morning in a live virtual conference, Mayor Carlos Giménez announced May 18 as the target date for Miami-Dade County to reopen in phase one. The decision to move toward a "new normal" is based on extensive meetings with medical experts as well as a decline in the number of Covid-19 patients on ventilators and people who’ve tested positive. An increase in available testing sites also played a role. "We need to get the economy going and do it as safely as possible," he said.
What businesses and how they’ll reopen has not yet been confirmed, but Mayor Giménez did share that he’ll be meeting with the county’s working groups as well as medical experts to further develop the strategy this weekend. He plans to outline instructions for business owners so that the process for consumers is as streamlined as possible. "We’re trying to be as consistent as possible so that everyone is the same if they’re going from business to business," he said. That might mean a restaurant will need to clear out tables while a store may need to increase sanitation efforts. Whatever the county’s recommendations wind up being, the mayor assures owners will have at least the weekend to prepare.
It’s likely that Miami-Dade County will take Florida’s lead, with phase one calling for restaurants and select retail opening at 25-percent capacity while continuing to follow CDC social-distancing guidelines, such as facial coverings for guests and maintaining a distance of six feet from others. We expect residents to be more mindful of the rules moving forward, lest they risk another sudden closure like what South Beach experienced this week. Beaches and high-density venues, like nightclubs, won’t factor into the first phase of easing restrictions.
Whether the plan is implemented across the county is not up to the mayor, but he hopes that the 34 cities within Miami-Dade do follow suit. "We have 34 different cities and some of them want to do their own thing, which they can. I told [the league of cities] that we really need to speak with one voice. We can’t be less strict than some cities when we’ve had a very strenuous process," said the mayor.
Mayor Giménez aims to share his and his team’s phase one plan by early next week. Below is this morning’s full announcement.
Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.
Most popular on Time Out
-The best Chinese food delivery and takeout in Miami
-Miami-Dade libraries are now offering curbside pickup for books and DVDs
-How to tie-dye at home, according to this Miami expert
-Craving something homemade? Check out these underground pop-ups from Miami’s top chefs.
-Fairchild Garden wants to host your virtual wedding