Miami-Dade, Cities Finalize Plans For Phase 1 Reopening
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - While most of Florida has had some form of partial reopening in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, Miami-Dade and Broward have been forced to wait because of the high number of cases and deaths.
All that will change in the coming weeks although it is a patchwork of reopenings
The unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade – including Kendall, northwest and southwest Miami-Dade – plan for a partial reopening Monday May 18.
This includes limited capacity in restaurants and non-essential retail establishments.
Broward County plans a similar partial reopening on May 18, which would include restaurants, non-essential retail and hair and nail salons. Most of Broward's cities are following the county's directive.
Both counties are waiting on Gov. Ron Desantis' approval of their plans.
However, on Wednesday, several large Miami-Dade cities broke ranks with their county and announced a different timeline.
Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Hialeah all plan to reopen non-essential retail establishments with limited capacity on Wednesday, May 20.
And they plan to wait another week, until May 27, to have a partial reopening of restaurants.
"So what we've agreed up until this point is that, by and large, our retail will open on Wednesday (May 20), a couple of days beyond the county," said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
Miami also plans to open its marinas on Thursday, May 14.
WATCH: MAYORS VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE
Miami and Hialeah plan to open their parks on May 20, but it will not be a full-scale opening, rather a passive approach.
Suarez said they are still looking at guidelines for opening salons and personal grooming businesses. He added it will be based on what the county decides. If approved, they too could open on May 20 with proper safety protocols in place. Other cities will likely follow this date for salon reopening.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the openings have to be decided on a local level and they are doing their best to navigate this situation.
The mayor said they don't want to open to quickly and would rather be behind Miami-Dade in steps to prepare.
Miami-Dade County has come up with a New Normal Guide in preparation for a Phase 1 reopening on Monday, May 18.
The county said the guide was put together after close consultation with medical and industry experts. It has been submitted to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his approval.
If the governor approves, certain non-essential businesses will be able to open with stringent capacity and safety rules in place.
READ: The New Normal - A Guide For Residents And Commercial Establishments
Dr. Aileen Marty has confidence in Miami-Dade's plan, assuming residents follow the rules.
"There is a risk and the country is still at the plateau and therefore we are really hoping that the public does exactly what Mayor Gimenez says, which is take personal responsibility and adhere to the guidelines," said Marty, an infectious disease specialist.
The guide includes specific protocols for retail, small businesses, personal grooming businesses, arts and culture, manufacturing, office buildings, shopping centers, warehouse and trade businesses, and restaurants
"Malls and shops… will be opened under yellow. Also barber shops and hair salons and nail salons will be opened under yellow. There are things that will not be opened under yellow hotels, gyms, beaches, pools," the mayor explained. "We had a zoom meeting yesterday with our medical experts. If we can maintain social distancing and the tables 6 feet apart, is it a problem to go to 50 percent capacity? They said no."
It specifies that the following will not be opening on May 18: bars, pubs, night clubs, banquet halls, cocktail lounges, cabarets, and breweries; movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gymnasiums and fitness studios; pools, hot tubs and fitness centers, gymnasiums, whether of a commercial or non-commercial nature; tattoo shops and massage parlors.
While designated businesses will be permitted to open, they not required to open. For businesses opening, facial coverings must be worn inside businesses and where social distancing is not possible.
Businesses should allow for flexible schedules for child care and sick time. They should also stagger breaks to reduce large gatherings.
Hand sanitizer should be available at entry points and throughout the business. Employees should practice social distancing and stay six feet apart.
There should be enhanced sanitation of all common area touchpoints including door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, etc.
Bathrooms should be cleaned every two to three hours. There should be no use of common water fountains and interactive displays. Require non-core employees to work from home if possible.
Businesses should have a single point of entrance and exit. Arrows should mark one-way circulation inside stores.
Customer queues for fitting rooms and cashiers with floor markers six feet apart.
Restaurants will be allowed to operate at up to 50 percent capacity.
Any outdoor seating must maintain similar distancing but in no event may the combined indoor and outdoor operation exceed 100% of its legally permitted building occupancy. All bar counters must remain closed to seating.
A per table party limit of 4 persons must be maintained whether seating is indoors or outdoors unless the members of the party are from the same household. When parties are from the same household, tables may seat up to 6 persons.
Tables must be arranged such that the distance from the back of one chair to the back of another chair shall be at least 6 feet apart and guests shall face each other from a distance of at least 3 feet. This will not apply to family groups.
Before re-opening, plumbing must be flushed to eliminate stagnant water. HVAC filters must be changed.
Self-dispensing hand sanitizer must be made available at the entrance.
Restaurants must have a plan for safe handling and disposal of PPE. All restaurants must have visible floor markings for appropriate six-foot distancing for each party waiting in line.
Distinct areas must be created for customer waiting, order pickup/take out and any third party delivery services. Restaurants must have plastic barriers at tills and counters as an additional level of protection for the staff.
Mall and store occupancy will also be capped at 50 percent.
Merchandise, particularly clothing, must not be handled or tried on and returned shelves with being properly cleaned.
All cart and basket handles must be sanitized between uses.
Car valet service will be suspended. Elevators will be limited to four passengers per car.
As for salons and barbershops, customers must be kept six feet apart.
Capacity is limited to 10 people (employees and customers) or 25 percent of the building occupancy.
Only current customers receiving service may enter the shop, except if it's a parent accompanying a child.
All services will be by appointment only. Customers must wear face masks but they may be removed for a short time when necessary.
Washing the customer's hair before a cut is compulsory.
Employees must wear masks and gloves at all times. They can share tools and hairdressers have to wear single-use aprons. Any face to face service requires employees to wear a face shield.
Works stations must be wiped down after each customer. All staff must wash hands after each customer.
