After a Surge in Coronavirus Cases, Florida Shuts Down Bars Statewide

After close to 9,000 positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state of Florida Friday — the largest ever daily total in the state since the pandemic began— the Department of Business and Professional regulation announced on Twitter that they are suspending on-premise consumption at bars statewide effective immediately.

This order doesn’t impact South Florida as Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have yet to reopen bars; the area is still currently under phase one of the Florida’s reopening plans, which restricts bar operations. However, the rest of the state had moved to phase two of reopening on June 5, allowing bars to reopen at 50 percent capacity as long as customers were seated and following “appropriate social distancing and sanitation protocols.”

There has been no official comment yet from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter, who previously said last week that the state wouldn’t be scaling back reopening efforts, even though the Florida has become a hotspot for coronavirus cases. DeSantis is scheduled to host a press conference at 2 p.m. today to address the increase in cases.

• Bars in Florida Can Reopen Starting Friday — Except in South Florida [EMIA]
• Tracking Coronavirus’s Impact on the South Florida Food World [EMIA]
• All coverage of coronavirus [E]