South Florida's Next Reopening Phase Hinges On Continued Decline Of COVID-19 Positivity Rate
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There's a lot of talk but no actual movement towards moving South Florida into the next phase of reopening.
When it happens, it will be a small step. Bars would reopen at half-capacity while gyms and stores would operate at full capacity.
But it hinges on the rate of positive COVID-19 test results.
"I think the next steps for us in the state of Florida will be to work with our three southern Florida counties about moving them into Phase 2," said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis teased South Florida may be inching closer to Phase 2 of reopening after the recent decline in positive COVID cases.
Over the last two days, Miami-Dade has been under 10% with a 14-day average under 12.
But before certain restrictions on indoor dining and other businesses are lifted, Mayor Carlos Gimenez wants to see a significant drop.
"We continue to strive for a 14-day average that's as close to 5% as possible," he said in a tweet.
CBS4's Mike Cugno ASKED the mayor's office if they had an exact number in mind. They said in a statement:
"The governor stressed it would be a 'bottom-up approach' and that what might reopen 'will probably be different depending on the part of the state' and 'local conditions.' The Mayor agrees with the governor's bottom-up approach and is pleased with the strides that Miami-Dade County has made to reduce the spread of the virus."
The mayor continues to meet with medical experts, including infectious disease specialist Dr. Aileen Marty.
She spoke to CBS4 about a week ago offering her advice, and it sounds like local leaders are listening.
"If we want to be safer in our community we really need to bring it down below 5% so that we don't have to go through all this again," she said.
Mayor Gimenez said he met with the White House's Coronavirus Task Force and they warned of another surge in the fall. He said that was the one of the reasons for wanting to see the positivity rates get to around 5% as opposed to the original 10 % he set as a target back in July.
