Miami Beach to limit occupancy of ‘essential businesses,’ requires customers and employees to be six feet apart

A woman buys fruits at a supermarket in Bergisch Gladbach that is open in the morning only for elderly people from 65 years to minimize their risk of infection due to the coronavirus outbreak in Germany, Friday, March 20, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Miami Beach is ramping up its social distancing efforts, putting multiple restrictions on essential businesses as those limited outlets continue to operate.

The city had already shut down all nonessential businesses. But per a Tuesday Emergency Order, those businesses that remain open will be limited to 50% capacity. All customers and employees must remain six feet apart as well.

Those businesses must also provide disinfecting wipes “at points of entrance, cash registers, and/or other appropriate locations, subject to availability.” Employees must be designated to wipe down carts, cash registers, “and other areas as frequently as possible.” Those stores will be required to offer hand sanitizer for customers and employees as well.

Finally, all self-serve food stations — such as salad bars — are ordered to close. Stores are also mandated to stop offering free samples.

Additionally, the order folds in portions of a Miami-Dade County Emergency Order closing “all common use areas in all residential or commercial buildings, including pools, hot tubs, golf courses, tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness centers, gymnasiums and other common use amenities.”

That comes one day after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an Executive Order instituting a region-wide “safer-at-home” order spanning Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

In an email blast promoting the new Emergency Order, Miami Beach officials also warned travelers of the Governor’s EO ordering travelers from Connecticut, Louisiana New York and New Jersey to self-isolate for 14 days.

“The Governor’s Executive Orders are mandatory, and compliance with these orders is a critical part of the city’s collective efforts to curb the potential spread of COVID-19 in Miami Beach,” the announcement read.

Miami-Dade County continues to lead the state in confirmed coronavirus cases. As of Tuesday morning, the county had 1,926 confirmed positive tests. That’s more than 700 more than the second-highest county — Broward — which has 1,209 confirmed positives.

Most who show symptoms develop a fever or cough and may have trouble breathing, though they do recover. Older individuals and those with underlying health risks are susceptible to developing more severe symptoms, however.