Summer camps are about to open in Broward. Coming soon: Movie theaters, arcades and more

If the recently reopened beaches and accompanying restaurants are starting to bore you, you’re in luck — movie theaters, arcades and concerts are about to become legal fun again in Broward County.

On Friday, Broward County announced summer camps could open Monday alongside Miami-Dade and movie theaters, vacation rentals and concert houses could reopen one week later.

The announcement came the same day movie theaters, bars and bowling alleys opened at half-capacity across the rest of Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis had originally excluded Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties from the sweeping reopening. But his order stated those counties could move to Phase 2 of Florida’s reopening with a written request from their county mayors or administrators. The South Florida counties have operated on a different reopening schedule from the rest of the state because of the higher concentration of COVID-19 cases in the area.

Broward County’s new executive order authorizing the reopenings, signed Friday by County Administrator Bertha Henry, also bumped the occupancy of museums from 25% to 50%. In his announcement of the new order, Mayor Dale Holness wrote the newly reopened businesses must adhere to social-distancing, facial-covering and sanitation requirements recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Beaches, gyms and tattoo parlors have already been open in Broward as well.

As Florida continues to relax coronavirus restrictions and opens more businesses to the public, the state has reported a surge in COVID-19 cases. There were more than 1,000 new infections reported each day for the past four days — including 1,419 new infections on Thursday, the largest statewide increase in a single day since daily updates began in March. But as cases go up, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests of all reported tests in a day has declined.

Here’s everything you need to know about what’s opening across Broward County over the next two weeks.

What’s opening on Monday, June 8

On Monday, Broward County will reopen sports teams, leagues, clubs and summer camps for any restless kids that need to burn energy after nearly three months of virtual education.

Summer camps are allowed to operate in Broward parks and beaches, according to Holness’s announcement of the emergency order. But Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie announced in mid-May that summer camps could not operate in public school buildings.

The order states that summer camps will comply with the CDC’s guidelines for summer camps. The CDC recommends that camps have small groups of campers and leaders that do not mix with other groups. The CDC also recommends continued 6-foot social distancing and the prioritization of outdoor activities.

Campers should all be from the same geographic area for low-risk camps, according to the CDC. For example, Fort Lauderdale, which opened camp registration May 28, is only allowing children from the city to register for summer camps run through its parks and recreation department, according to the city website.

Additionally, the camps will follow similar guidelines implemented by Miami-Dade, including requiring temperature checks for employees. Any employee with a temperature above 100.1, or who exhibits flu-like symptoms or symptoms related to the coronavirus, will be sent home.

And staff and children over 2 years old must wear masks at camp. There are exceptions and accommodations for those performing “strenuous activities,” as well as for preschool children and children with disabilities or special needs. Parents must also wear masks when dropping off and picking up their children.

What’s opening on Monday, June 15

On Monday, June 15, Broward County authorizes the following businesses to reopen:

▪ Bowling alleys

▪ Arcades

▪ Movie theaters

▪ Parimutuel facilities

▪ Short-term vacation rentals

▪ Concert houses, auditoriums and playhouses

Bars are not mentioned in the order, although those establishments opened outside of South Florida on Friday.

The order does not outline rules for concert houses, auditoriums or playhouses but does say those locations must submit a reopening and operation plan to the county administrator and receive written approval to open.

The order also authorizes the reopening of “indoor amusement facilities,” which it defines as “establishments that offer recreational activities such as bowling, laser tag, arcade games, movies, or similar recreational activities.” Any facilities under that umbrella must operate at 50% capacity.

Movie theaters must also operate at 50% capacity and practice social distancing, except between members of the same household. That applies to your vehicles, too: at drive-in movie theaters, which many have turned to as a date-night replacement, cars must be spaced 6 feet apart. Additionally, you should not leave your car except to use the restroom, which also must cap capacity at 50%, or grab snacks.

Rules for indoor amusement facilities

▪ Establishments are responsible for creating, implementing, and enforcing safety and sanitation plans for reopening. If you’re curious about how your favorite arcade is handling the coronavirus era, they must show you the plans if you ask.

▪ Masks are required.

▪ At bowling alleys, there must be one empty lane between parties at all time. And if you have a big family, pick your favorite members, because no groups larger than 10 and no more than five people at any lane.

▪ Establishments must be deep cleaned at least once every day they’re open. And for areas that get a lot of germ traffic, such as door handles or arcade machines, bump that up to every two hours.

▪ Movie theaters must be sanitized between every showing, which gives you even more of a reason to pick up your own candy or popcorn when you spill.

▪ Anything you rent or share, such as bowling shoes, skates and laser tag guns, must be sanitized between each customer’s use.

Rules for short-term vacation rentals

▪ Owners and operators must keep a record of guests and staff movement for at least 90 days. Those records are in case somebody becomes infected at the property, you can track who came into contact with that person and have them self-isolate or get tested.

▪ Rental properties are not an escape from social-distancing rules — reservations will be terminated early if the renters decide to throw parties that violate local COVID-19 guidelines.

▪ Owners and operators must show guests on their websites or social media what they’re doing to clean, sanitize and disinfect their properties. That’s probably good practice even after COVID-19 guidelines are in place.

▪ Reservations from COVID-19 hot spots as identified by DeSantis must be avoided for the next 30-45 days. In other words: New Yorkers shouldn’t flock to South Florida.

▪ Have remote check-ins when possible.

▪ Follow all CDC sanitation and personal hygiene guidelines.

▪ If there’s a pool or beach at your rental property, 6-foot social distancing applies.

▪ Distancing should also be used in general between groups not traveling together. Where long lines may form, such as at a check-in desk or the poolside bar, clearly mark spacing for appropriate social distancing and encourage one-way directional flow where possible. You should also arrange any seating on property to promote social distancing.

This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 2:42 PM.