MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Big changes are coming Monday across South Florida and it already began on Saturday on Ocean Drive on Miami Beach.
The oceanside street is now closed to vehicle traffic and open for foot and bicycle traffic until further notice. According to Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales, this is to allow more space for social distancing and for restaurants to be able to provide more outside seating.
These are just some of the ways that cities and the businesses within them are getting ready to reopen in Phase 1.
Some workers will be back on the job after months of shutdown.
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"I don’t think I've ever been this excited to go to work," Christie Bellini said.
"So anxious to hear when we were going to open, so it was a happy day in life," Marco Vico, the owner of Café Vico Ristorante, said.
In Broward County, restaurants and retail stores will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity with hair and nail salons at 25 percent. In Miami-Dade, business owners will have to follow several of the same restrictions. On Friday, Miami-Dade County Mayor County addressed a variety of questions from expanding transportation services to salons and barber shops.
“Anytime a barber or hairdresser is looking at you they need to have a face shield," Gimenez said.
The mayor also addressed retail stores.
"If you want to try on something, then the store needs to disinfect it before they put it back on the rack."
But when it comes to commercial gyms, they will stay closed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
"The problem with gyms, there are multiple touch points and it is very difficult to control that," Gimenez said.
In Broward County, only gyms in apartment buildings, condominiums and HOA associations can open.
“If you are inside, make sure you maintain social distancing and sanitize machines after use,” DeSantis advised.