ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As part of a three-phase plan to reopen Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has outlined the initial part of his plan: "Phase 1: Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery." starting Monday, May 4.
This step allows the limited reopening of stores and restaurants everywhere except for Miami-Dade, Broward, and West Palm Beach County due to the amount of COVID-19 cases in those counties.
But, reopening the state comes with limitations, right now restaurants can offer outdoor seating with 6-foot spacing between tables, parties of only 10 or fewer people can be seated and indoor seating is limited to 25-percent capacity. The same capacity limits apply to retail stores, museums and libraries.
Simon Property Group, one of the country's largest mall owners, plans to open 49 shopping centers across the country starting on May 1st.
The company said it will limit the number of entrances to each property and make sure that occupancy does not exceed one person per 50 square feet of space.
Locations will also provide:
- Free CDC-approved masks
- Free hand-sanitizing packets
- Place tape over every other sink and urinal in restrooms so there is proper space between customers
- Put decals on the floors to better direct foot traffic
- Encouraging retailers to make transactions in-store contact less
- Close off drinking fountains and play areas.
The Governor has not set a date for the second phase of reopening, instead stating he will take a "wait-and-see approach" of how the state responds during the first phase.
Based on lists released by Simon Property Group no Florida locations are set to reopen yet. But, that does not mean they won't in the future.
A regional manager with the company told 10News as more properties prepare to open they will update its website.
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