Florida bars, theaters can open Friday except in South Florida, DeSantis announces

Bars and movie theaters are allowed to open at half capacity starting Friday as most of Florida moves into the second of the state’s three-phase reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday.

With the exception of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, bars, movie theaters and bowling alleys will be allowed to open at 50% indoor capacity. Bars can have full outdoor seating, but must serve seated customers only, he said.

Tattoo shops, massage parlors and tanning salons are also allowed to reopen Friday.

All of those places must adhere to “appropriate social distancing and sanitation protocols,” DeSantis said, and the public should still avoid crowds of more than 50 people.

And people over the age of 65 and anyone with underlying health conditions are still being encouraged to avoid all crowds, which can serve as vectors for the virus.

“It’s really, really important to continue to avoid crowds and continue to limit the risk of exposure,” DeSantis said.

South Florida, where the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hardest, can move to Phase 2 with a written request from their county mayors or county administrators.

Universal reopens

DeSantis spoke at Universal Orlando Resort, which opens to the public on Friday, the second of a wave of theme park reopenings over the next two months.

Here’s the reopening schedule for the state’s theme parks:

June 1: Legoland Florida

June 5: Universal Orlando: Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay

June 11: SeaWorld Orlando and the Aquatica and Discovery Cove water parks

June 11: Busch Gardens Tampa and Adventure Island

July 11: Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom

July 15: Walt Disney World: Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Parimutuel facilities across the state will also be allowed to reopen if they have written plans to reopen, DeSantis said.

The governor’s reopening plans have closely followed White House guidelines.

Under Florida’s Phase 2, visitation at long-term care facilities is still prohibited. Elders living in long-term care facilities have accounted for 7 in 10 of all deaths resulting from the coronavirus in Florida, and 85% of all deaths have occurred among people over age 65.

Data released last week by the Florida Department of Health show that outbreaks continue to spread widely at homes throughout the state while deaths continue to mount at facilities that already were hardest hit. As of Monday, 1,236 people at long-term care facilities had died from COVID-19.

Despite these numbers, testing of residents and staff at these facilities remains voluntary and state regulators rely on voluntary reporting of positive infections from nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Times/Herald staff writer Mary Ellen Klas and Tampa Bay Times staff writer Sharon Wynne contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 1:03 PM.