Coronavirus & Florida: Gov. DeSantis Shuts Down Broward Beaches, Suspends On-Site Dining & Non-Essential Medical Services

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - To stem the spread of coronavirus, Governor Ron DeSantis has issued several Executive Orders Friday that shuts down beaches and businesses in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, ends on-site dining and suspends non-essential medical procedures.

Under Executive Order 20-70, all movie theatres, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gymnasiums, fitness studios and beaches to close. These closures will remain in effect until March 31st but may be renewed by a written request of the County Administrator.

"The Broward County and Palm Beach County Administrators will also have the ability to enforce, relax, modify or remove these closures as they see fit," according to a statement from the governor's office.

The executive order also orders all restaurants, bars, pubs, night clubs, banquet halls, cabarets, breweries, cafeterias, and any other alcohol and/or food service business establishment with seating for more than ten people within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Broward County and Palm Beach County to close on-premises service of customers. Take-out and delivery are still acceptable.

The governor also issued Executive Order 20-71, which directs all restaurants and food establishments in the state to stop serving food and drinks in their dining rooms. Preparing food for take-out or delivery is okay.

DeSantis also lifted a prohibition on restaurants selling package alcohol for carry-out or delivery.

The Executive Order requires the closures of all gyms and fitness centers in the state.

Executive Order 20-72, also signed by Gov. DeSantis on Friday, temporarily restricts all non-essential elective medical procedures.

All hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, office surgery centers, dental, orthodontic and endodontic offices, and other health care practitioners' offices in the state of Florida are prohibited from providing any medically unnecessary, non-urgent or non-emergency procedure or surgery which, if delayed, does not place a patients immediate health, safety or well-being at risk, or will, if delayed, not contribute to the worsening of a serious or life-threatening medical condition.

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