Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference today at 5:00 pm to address the re-open Florida task force and what the next steps are here in Florida to prevent COVID-19 and to get back to some sense of normalcy. First off, he discussed his plan going forward to prevent COVID-19.
Florida's Plan Against COVID-19
1. Protect the vulnerable
2. Increase testing
3. Promote Social Distancing
4. Support Hospitals and protect healthcare workers
5. Prevent introduction from outside the state
When it comes to the next steps in trying to safely re-open the State of Florida and get back to our normal lives, DeSantis said it will be a "Safe, Smart and Step-By-Step" process. He said this plan will go into effect Monday, May 4th for most of Florida and excludes some areas in South Florida, as they will be on their on plan.
Phase 1
Schools remain distance learning
Visits to senior living facilities are prohibited
Elective surgeries can resume
Restaurants may offer outdoor seating with 6' space between tables and indoor seating at 25% capacity
Retail can operate at 25% of indoor capacity
No change for bars, gyms and personal services (Such as hair dressers and barbers.)
To get to phase 2, he said they will look to data and take it into account. As long as he isn't seeing a flood of activity of people entering the hospital and that we're making progress, that will all be taken into account. He said, "Measured steps will be taken to get us on the road to a brighter day." Data will be looked at hourly, daily and weekly and no exact date has been pinpointed to begin Phase 2.