Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County can begin a Phase 1 reopening starting Monday. According to state guidelines, a Phase 1 reopening means:
■ Elective surgeries can recommence at hospitals.
■ Restaurants and retail stores are allowed to open at 25% capacity.
■ Barber shops, hair salons and nail salons will be allowed to open Monday across the state, except in Broward and Miami-Dade. The shops can reopen under increased sanitation and safety protocols.
■ Bars and gyms will remain closed.
Beaches in Palm Beach County will be allowed to
reopen with some caveats starting
May 18.
All public, private and municipal beaches in the county can open from sunrise to sundown, with groups of no more than 10 people and socialdistancing guidelines in place.
Beachgoers will be limited to “activities consistent with social distancing and exercise,” meaning walking, swimming, biking, running, fishing and surfing, according to order approved by 4-3 by county commissioners on Friday.
Commissioners will hammer out the rest of the rules next week, including the possibility of limiting the beaches to Palm Beach County residents. That’s to prevent people from other areas of South Florida from traveling north to use the beach.
Other beaches in the state have already reopened, including in Jacksonville, other parts of Duval County, St. Lucie County and the Tampa Bay area. In Martin County, Palm Beach County’s northern neighbor, only residents are allowed on the beaches.
Palm Beach County had seen 3,615 coronavirus cases as of Friday and 229 deaths — fewer than Broward or Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade
DeSantis said Friday that MiamiDade may be able to start reopening on May 18. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he plans to reopen some businesses, but he did not say which ones.
Gimenez suggested the phased reopening could include restaurants, but beaches and nonessential businesses such as nightclubs and movie theaters will remain closed on May 18, he said.
“We need to get the economy going and do it as safely as possible,” Gimenez said at a news conference Friday morning.
As of Friday, Miami-Dade County had recorded 35% of the state’s coronavirus cases and 28% of the deaths, but it has only 13% of Florida’s population.
Health Department records showed 13,664 coronavirus cases in Miami-Dade and 468 deaths, 14 more than the day before.
Broward County
Broward County is waiting as the rest of the region races to reopen beaches.
The county has the same possibility as Miami-Dade to start reopening some businesses on May 18, but County Administrator Bertha Henry ordered beaches closed until further notice.
The order frustrated officials who want to reopen right now. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis wrote a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday asking that the city be allowed to open immediately.
“We would have hoped the county would have had a sophisticated plan how to address the expectations our community has to start bringing some level of functionality to our communities,” Trantalis said Friday. “Instead, the county simply said ‘the beaches are closed.’”
Henry said she has not seen a consensus among cities about reopening beaches. She said she plans to discuss the issue with coastal cities on Monday.
“Clearly while one city may be ready the majority of cities were not ready to open right away,” Henry said Friday.
Broward had recorded 5,688 coronavirus cases as of Friday and 248 deaths.
Bottom line
In a week and a half, everyone in South Florida might be able to finally get their nails and hair done and enjoy some shopping. But they won’t be able to meet their friends at a bar, catch a movie at the theater or exercise at the gym for a while.
As for the beach, it’ll depend on where they live.
And if coronavirus rages back — if people don’t behave sensibly — all bets are off.