Florida's Top Regulator Looking At How To Reopen Bars and Breweries Safely
ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) — Bars remain closed in Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic but the state's top business regulator said Saturday that he planned to set up meetings with bar owners to discuss how they can reopen their businesses again safely.
This as another 12,199 COVID-19 positive cases and 126 newly reported virus-related deaths were reported in the Sunshine State.
Halsey Beshears, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said he planned to start setting up meetings with owners of bars and breweries across the state later this week to discuss how they can reopen without spreading the virus.
Late last month, Florida banned alcohol consumption at its bars, for the second time this year, in response to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.
"We will come up with a Safe, Smart and Step-by-step plan based on input, science and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible," Beshears tweeted.
The Florida Department of Health reported 12,199 new cases Saturday, bringing the total since March 1 to 414,511 cases. Florida's total deaths since the start of the pandemic now stands at 5,894 fatalities.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
