What you can and cannot do now under governor’s order

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order mandating Floridians stay at home starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday contains exemptions for “essential services.” That list is extensive.

The order supersedes all local government shelterin-place or stay home orders, although local governments can impose further restrictions as they deem appropriate.

Four of the “essential services” are explicitly defined in the order:

• Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship

• Participating in recreational activities (consistent with social distancing guidelines) such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming

• Taking care of pets

• Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend.

For other activities that qualify as essential services, the order leans on a list of exemptions that applied under the stay-home order in effect in Miami-Dade County.

Those include:

• Healthcare providers, including, but not limited to, hospitals, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, urgent care centers, clinics, rehabilitation facilities, physical therapists, mental health professionals, psychiatrists, therapists, and pharmacies

• Grocery stores, farmers’ markets, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, food banks, convenience stores, and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other household consumer products (such as cleaning and personal care products

• Food cultivation, including farming, livestock, and fishing;

• Businesses that provide food, shelter, social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals

• Newspapers, television, radio, and other media services; gasoline stations and auto-supply, auto-repair, and related facilities

• Banks and related financial institutions

• Hardware stores

• Contractors and other tradesmen, appliance repair personnel, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences and other structures

• Businesses providing mailing and shipping services, including post office boxes

• Private colleges, trade schools, and technical colleges, but only as needed for online or distance learning

• Laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry service providers

• Restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food, but limited to take-out and delivery service only

• Schools and other entities providing free food services to students or members of the public may continue to do so on the condition that the food is provided to students or members of the public on a pick-up and takeaway basis only and the food isn’t consumed on site

• Businesses that supply other essential businesses with the support or supplies necessary to operate, and which do not interact with the general public

• Airlines, taxis, and other private transportation providers providing transportation services via automobile, truck, bus, or train

• Home-based care for seniors, adults, or children

• Assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and adult day care centers, and senior residential facilities

• Professional services, such as legal or accounting services, when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities

• Landscape and pool care businesses, including residential landscape and pool care services

• Childcare facilities providing services that enable employees exempted in the order to work as permitted

• Businesses operating at any airport, seaport, or other government facility, including parks and government offices

• Logistics providers, including warehouses, trucking, consolidators, fumigators

• Telecommunications providers, including sales of computer or telecommunications devices and the provision of home telecommunications

• Provision of propane or natural gas

• Office space and administrative support necessary to perform any other essential services

• Open construction sites, irrespective of the type of building

• Architectural, engineering, or land surveying services

• Factories, manufacturing facilities, bottling plants, or other industrial uses

• Waste management services, including collection and disposal of waste

• Any business that is interacting with customers solely through electronic or telephonic means, and delivering products via mailing, shipping, or delivery services

All social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control should be followed even while venturing outside for “essential activities.”

“A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity. Local jurisdictions shall ensure that groups of people greater than ten are not permitted to congregate in any public space,” the order states.

The order expires April

30.