Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 26
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day.
HARD ROCK STADIUM IS OPENING A DRIVE-IN THEATER
5:40 p.m.: Coming soon to Hard Rock Stadium are The Outdoor Theaters, two new ways to watch films in a socially distanced setting. The Hard Rock will now be home to an open-air theater and a drive-in theater. Both will show classic movies and what it calls classic Miami Dolphins content.
The drive-in events will be inside the stadium and will accommodate up to 230 cars. The open-air theater is a more intimate viewing experience on the Hard Rock’s south plaza. Restrooms will be open, and you can order food and drinks through an online ordering and payment system and have them delivered.
No opening date has been announced yet, but to be notified when tickets go on sale for the screenings, sign up at hardrockstadium.com/Theater/.
THE NHL IS BACK AND THE PANTHERS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS
5:10 p.m.: The NHL plans to finish the season at two central locations with an expanded playoff field of 24 teams, meaning the Florida Panthers, who were on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture when the season halted in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak, will get to play in postseason competition for the first time since 2016. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league’s plans Tuesday.
Florida will meet the Islanders in the first round of the expanded 24-team postseason tournament.
No dates have been determined yet, but Bettman said he hopes Phase 3 of the return-to-play plan — the start of training camps — will begin in July.
Read the full story here.
BROWARD GYMS ARE OPEN. HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT
4:30 p.m.: Gym rats and body builders, rejoice! Broward County gyms are officially reopen for business as of Tuesday.
But if you’re expecting large crowds, don’t worry: They’re opening at 50 percent capacity.
Limiting patrons is one of the many changes gym-goers will see when they return to facilities for the first time since the two-month COVID-19 closure. Broward County’s emergency order also bans showers except under certain circumstances.
Here’s what else to expect at the gym.
THE SCENE AS BEACHES REOPEN IN BROWARD COUNTY
3:40 p.m.: For more than two months, the beach was off-limits for Hollywood residents Amelia Colonna, her 9-year-old son Christopher, and her 11-year-old daughter Sophia — as it was for all residents of Broward County to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On Tuesday morning, with residents allowed back on the sand and in the water for the first time, they returned to Hollywood Beach. Christopher waded into the water on a boogie board as his mom and sister stood on the shore.
“I feel like I’m back home,” Colonna said. “It’s beautiful. It’s freeing.”
The beach was anything but crowded, even as the sun shone following a Memorial Day weekend where storms had caused flash flooding. In Hollywood, as well as further north in Fort Lauderdale, only a smattering of people occupied the reopened sand. Police officers and security guards stood watch at a distance.
Hotels and commercial gyms were also allowed to reopen Tuesday in Broward.
Read the full story here.
IS IT SAFE TO TRY ON CLOTHES IN DRESSING ROOM DURING PANDEMIC?
2:10 p.m.: Experts have made it clear that exploring a store during a pandemic should be safe if social distancing and face masks are enforced, but what about trying on clothes in a dressing room?
The truth is, there isn’t enough research on how long SARS-CoV-2 can linger on clothing.
But experts do know that enclosed spaces such as dressing rooms can harbor viruses on door knobs, walls and mirrors through frequent touching without proper disinfection.
Read the full story here.
FLORIDA’S UPDATED CASE NUMBERS
12:20 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health confirmed 509 additional cases of COVID-19 statewide as beaches, hotels and gyms reopened in Broward County Tuesday morning. The state now has a total of 52,255 confirmed cases.
There were also seven new deaths announced, raising the statewide death toll to 2,259.
Read the full update on Florida’s case numbers here. The next update on Florida’s coronavirus numbers will come Wednesday morning.
ZOO MIAMI REOPENING WITH NEW RULES TO FOLLOW
12 p.m.: Zoo Miami will reopen to visitors on June 1, following so called new normal guidelines in line with the county, the CDC and State Health Department. Members have already gotten the OK to enter, starting Wednesday.
How will the family destination be different in the coronavirus age? Find out here.
DOLPHINS OWNER BELIEVES THERE WILL ‘DEFINITELY’ BE NFL SEASON IN 2020
10:40 a.m.: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said Tuesday that “there will definitely be a football season” in 2020 — the strongest language yet used by a team owner that the NFL will return this fall.
Ross, appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” as owner of his real estate company the Related Group, didn’t have the same conviction about whether fans will be allowed to attend games. The Dolphins are preparing for all possibilities, including permitting some 15,000 or so fans into a stadium that holds around 65,000.
The NFL is planning to open its season on Sept. 10, even though coaches still are not even yet allowed into team headquarters due to coronavirus and teams have not practiced in months.
Read the full story here.
BROWARD BEACHES REOPEN (WITH RESTRICTIONS) TODAY
10:30 a.m.: Broward County beaches are reopening in limited fashion Tuesday. You can swim, surf and exercise.
But there’s one thing you can’t do: Work on your summer tan in the sand.
That’s one of the many beach activities currently banned as Broward slowly reopens following a two month COVID-19 shutdown. Miami-Dade beaches are expected to reopen June 1, the same day the Florida Keys will accept tourists again.
Read the full story here.
MCCLATCHY’S COVID-19 BENDING THE CURVE VIRTUAL SERIES
10:20 a.m.: McClatchy is bringing together top medical professionals, industry experts, patient advocates and policymakers to discuss the latest advancements for combating the novel coronavirus. The series is designed to be an exchange of ideas in a civil forum focused on solutions.
Each event will be livestreamed from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
▪ Innovation & Treatment | Thursday, May 28
▪ The Path to a Vaccine | Thursday, June 4
▪ Impact on Health Care Policy | Thursday, June 11
More information about this series can be found here. Attendees are able to RSVP through the registration button above for each virtual event in the series individually. A livestream link will be shared to attendees by email before the event.
AN UPDATE ON SOUTH FLORIDA HOME SALES AMID PANDEMIC
9:10 a.m.: Home sales in South Florida plummeted in April. Realtors blame the health and economic fears wrought by the pandemic caused.
Sales of both condos and single-family homes dropped nearly 40% in Miami-Dade and Broward from the same month in 2019, according to the Miami Association of Realtors April 2020 report. The activity follows a strong performance in March. Still, median prices continued to increase.
Read the full update on South Florida home sales here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Tuesday begins.
▪ Florida’s COVID-19 cases zoom past 51,000, and Miami-Dade now has 17,000-plus infections
▪ Rain sends masked Miamians to the malls. ‘There’s not a lot of people in here’
▪ Do detainee transfers increase COVID-19 cases? Judge orders ICE to disclose data
▪ Florida Republicans would welcome convention after Trump threatens to leave Charlotte
▪ Honoring high school seniors: How to watch Thursday’s Silver Knight Awards via livestream
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 26."
