Florida Fully Lifts Corona Virus Restrictions On Restaurants

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Friday the state will completely reopen its economy, allowing restaurants to operate at full capacity and barring localities from ordering businesses to close.

Why it matters: The state became one of the world’s epicenters for the virus in July, forcing DeSantis to pause its first round of reopening.

• The state now enters Phase 3 of its reopening, lifting the vast majority of any remaining restrictions on gyms, bars and retail spaces. These spaces had already been operating at or near full capacity under previous phases of Florida’s reopening.
• Cities and counties would be forced to justify any localized restrictions that bring capacity below 100%.
• “We’re not closing anything going forward,” DeSantis said at a press conference.

The big picture: Florida’s coronavirus case count over the past week has been steady, averaging about 2,700 new daily cases over the past week.

• Nearly 700,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in Florida, and the death toll is more than 14,000, according to the state’s health department.

Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to clarify that the state has averaged about 2,700 new daily cases over the past week (not that it saw about 2,700 new total cases in that time).