Miami – COVID-19 cases in Florida continue to rise and 40,596 were confirmed this Sunday, while the death toll from the disease is 1,721 across the state, which is preparing to reopen hairdressers and beauty salons this Monday in the most counties.
The new cases do not exceed a thousand in 24 hours (595), and the deaths totaled just 6 since Saturday’s count, according to the daily report from the Florida Department of Health.
The report indicates that the state currently has 7,171 people hospitalized for coronavirus.
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Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to reopen beauty salons and barber shops in all counties that have entered phase one of reopening starting tomorrow, adding Palm Beach, which did not initially enter this first part.
The executive order, released in the last few hours by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, sets guidelines for beauty salons to follow.
Among them is the obligation that customers go to these places only by appointment, and that between each service they take at least 15 minutes for disinfection tasks.
Additionally, all employees must wear face masks when doing their jobs.
DeSantis began the first phase of reopening since last Monday, with restrictions, in 64 of Florida’s 67 counties, leaving out Miami-Dade, Broward and also then Palm Beach.
But an order from him now allows Palm Beach stores and restaurants to reopen this Monday as long as they do not exceed 25% of the capacity of the premises.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties in the southeast of the state have been excluded from Phase One due to the number of COVID-19 outbreaks located in them, almost half of the entire state.
Between the two, today they account for 19,856 cases and 744 deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Carlos GimĂ©nez, the mayor of Miami-Dade, where the tourist beaches of Miami Beach are located, hopes that his territory can reopen shops “possibly” on May 18, something that DeSantis supported on Friday during a press conference.
The shops and hairdressers will open first and later the beaches, Giménez said today in an interview broadcast by Univision.
According to the mayor, there is already a plan ready to reopen the beaches, but for now it will not be implemented.
“The problem with beaches is that many cities do not have the resources to hire security guards,” said GimĂ©nez, adding that “for now you cannot sunbathe on the sand.”
As for the parks already open in this county, the novelty is that you can walk without masks.
Giménez reopened parks, golf courses, and marinas on April 29 under strict guidelines to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Emergency Order 21-10 established that “facial covers should be used, except for children under 2 years of age, people who have trouble breathing due to a pre-existing chronic condition, or people who perform strenuous physical activities.”
But an updated regulation this Saturday says park visitors are not required to wear a mask while walking or resting under a tree, as long as social distancing is respected.
If a group of friends gathers or if a visitor walks through a crowd, masks will be required.
In this sense, the city of Miami Beach announced in the last hours that tomorrow it will reopen the popular South Pointe Park without the mask being mandatory.
