Entertainment venues such as movie theaters, bowling alleys and banquet halls in Miami-Dade County can reopen later this week at 50% capacity, the mayor announced Wednesday.
With the county's daily COVID-19 infection rate under 5%, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he will sign an order that will go into effect Friday for the business reopenings.
“They must follow the guidelines in place including, obviously, wearing masks, distancing of six feet, and special HVAC systems to bring more fresh air into those spaces," Gimenez said.
Some of the business were already posting and sharing about reopening on the 18th.
On the other hand, Natalia Crujeiras, Executive Director Cultural Affairs Miami-Dade College, said the college wasn’t quite ready to reopen its theaters come Friday.
“We're being very cautious in the process of reopening, “ said Crujeiras. “We're following the college’s phased approach to reopening, and currently we're really only reopening the the spaces with less density.”
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Bars and nightclubs will remain closed. Gimenez said he is meeting with bar owners later this week.
Gimenez also announced the county's new app "CombatCOVID MDC." The app uses bluetooth to determine if your device is near another device whose owner has identified as COVID-positive. It alerts you without disclosing their identity. The app requires no personal information, and no GPS or location data is tracked. The information is encrypted.
The app is intended to compliment contact tracing. Florida Department of Health officials said they’ve faced some challenges getting COVID-positive individuals to answer their questions.
"The biggest fear is mistrust and they feel it could be a scam," said Dr. Yesenia Villalta of the DOH in Miami-Dade County.
The county will now also deploy eight testing vans to under-served areas. Each van has the capacity to test 250 people per day.
"These sprinters will be making stops at supermarkets, Metrorail stations, public parks and even Zoo Miami and sports venues," Gimenez said.
