Some Sebastian businesses can reopen under a “phase one” process beginning May 4, 2020.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that most of Florida will reopen under a “phase one” process beginning May 4, 2020. However, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will remain closed.

Gov. DeSantis says Florida will reopen in three phases, matching the White House guidelines.

Here’s the reopening plan for Phase 1:

Schools remain distance learning
Visits to senior living facilities are prohibited
Elective surgeries can resume
Movie theaters will remain closed
Restaurants may offer outdoor seating with six foot space between tables and indoor seating at 25%
Retail can operate at 25% of indoor capacity
No changes for bars, gyms and personal services such as hair dressers and barbers.
Vulnerable individuals should avoid close contact with people outside the home.

DeSantis said he will revisit the gyms in a few days once he sees how other states are handling them.

In Sebastian, outdoor restaurants and bars that serve food including The Crab Stop, Tiki Bar & Grill, Pareidolia Brewing Company, and Captain Hirams.

The establishments can open outdoor seating with tables 6 feet apart, and offer limit capacity of 25% for indoor seating,

Places like Mash Monkeys Brewery will have to wait until Phase Two because they don’t serve food.

Under phase one, all reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must be followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Social distancing must be followed while in public, avoiding groups of 10 or more, and using face masks in public when you can’t maintain a distance of 6 feet away.

Phase two and three will depend on how well the first phase goes.

“We are talking in a matter on weeks, not months,” DeSantis said during the news conference.

According to President Trump’s reopening American plan, restaurants, sporting venues, and churches can reopen as long as they practice social distancing guidelines. Phase two will reopen schools and loosen restrictions. Phase three is what health experts call “the new normal” and would get most businesses back up and running at full operation.

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