Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue. What Miami-Dade’s reopening colors mean for you
Miami-Dade County is using colored flags to help people track what’s open, what’s closed and what restrictions are still in place as it slowly moves to a “new normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They’re just like the flags that lifeguards fly on their stands at the beach. Except more confusing.
The county is currently in “Phase Orange” and will be moving to “Phase Yellow” Monday with a limited reopening of businesses. The goal is to eventually arrive at “Phase Blue,” (the new normal) but what we don’t want to do is go back to “Phase Red,” when everything but essential businesses are closed.
Yeah, we know. It’s hard to follow the Skittles-colored slang. So here’s a guide you can use to become a color flag pro:
Miami-Dade County is reopening. What do the colored flags mean?
▪ Starting Monday, the county will enter Phase Yellow Flag:
Businesses that were previously considered “non-essential” such as museums, retailers and office buildings will be allowed to reopen and restaurants can begin to offer dine-in services again.
The reopened businesses would have to follow new regulations on how many people can be allowed inside a business at a time, along with new sanitation protocols and other social distancing measures employees and customers would have to follow.
For example, anyone inside an office building (whether a visitor or an employee) would have to wear a mask at all times. And when you eat at a restaurant, there can only be up to four people per table, six if you live in the same household.
Businesses that would keep their doors closed during this phase include bowling alleys, breweries, gyms, movie theaters, nightclubs, tattoo shops, massage parlors, concert houses, playhouses, arcades, auditoriums, gymnasiums and pools inside businesses and residential complexes. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez also said beaches and hotels won’t reopen next week.
Barber shops and hair salons also appear to be opening Monday despite being listed under “Phase Green” in the 185-page county plan that was released Wednesday. The Green Flag is the last phase before the county would fully reopen into its “new normal.”
However, Gimenez has said in interviews that he plans to allow non-essential stores, barber shops and beauty salons to reopen Monday. Some cities, are also opting to wait until May 20 , next Wednesday,to allow a limited reopening of select businesses.
▪ Miami-Dade County is currently in Phase Orange Flag:
Parks, marinas and golf courses are open so people can get some fresh air, sun and exercise. Essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, emergency departments and other doctor offices are also open.
Restaurants are only allowed to offer takeout and delivery. There are also social distancing rules and facial covering requirements in place.
▪ The goal is to get the county to enter Phase Green Flag and eventually end in Phase Blue Flag:
Phase Green would include slightly looser social distancing regulations and an increase to how many people can be inside a business at a time. Some additional businesses that were previously closed would also be given the green light to open.
The county’s real goal, though, is to eventually enter “Phase Blue.” That’s when the COVID-19 pandemic has calmed down and life can officially return to the “new normal.”
By this point, all businesses and facilities, including hotels, schools, theaters, gyms and nightclubs would be open. Social distancing and facial covering measures would also no longer be required but would still be “encouraged.”
▪ Just because the county is starting to reopen, it doesn’t mean we can’t go back to Phase Red Flag:
According to the county’s reopening plan document, the county could decide to roll back on its reopening plans if:
It starts to see an increase of positive COVID-19 cases (in line with test counts), hospital beds start filling up or people are not following the established rules.
If that happens, you can expect to see tighter restrictions again. The worst-case scenario would be returning to Phase Red Flag, when only essential businesses are allowed to remain open, and all open spaces, including parks, marinas and golf courses, are closed.
To see the county’s draft version of its reopening plans for individual businesses, visit
https://www.miamidade.gov/information/library/new-normal.pdf
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 1:38 PM.
