Broward County mandates social distancing in essential businesses, shuts down basketball courts and golf courses

A new Emergency Order from Broward County is closing golf courses, pools and basketball and tennis courts to help maintain social distancing efforts inside the county.

The order also sets up mandatory social distancing efforts inside essential businesses still operating throughout the county. It will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning.

Those businesses “shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that all persons on site maintain appropriate social distancing, as recommended by the current CDC guidance, particularly in checkout, pickup, or take-out areas, and also in employee breakrooms and common use areas,” the order reads.

“Reasonable efforts may include, but are not limited to, marking floors at appropriate intervals or providing other visible systems to encourage persons to maintain proper social distancing.”

Some municipalities have operated under a simple essential/nonessential split. That is, nonessential establishments are closed while essential services remain open.

But other municipalities, such as Miami Beach, have gone further and instituted restrictions even on those businesses deemed “essential.”

Broward County is now doing the same, requiring those establishments to comply with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines. Those recommendations include staying at least six feet away from other individuals.

The county is installing those measures despite after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order. The Governor also later clarified the statewide order would “supersede” local action. Friday, the Governor’s office attempted to clarify, stating local governments are still able to institute stricter regulations.

The new Broward County order is also shutting down additional facilities.

“All pools, pool decks, party rooms, hot tubs, golf courses, tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness centers, gymnasiums, and community rooms…whether of a commercial or noncommercial nature, are closed for all purposes except as expressly excluded by this section,” the order states.

Those exceptions include such facilities which are either “required for the conduct of an essential service” or are “located on a single family residential lot, a single townhouse unit, or any part of a duplex lot.”

Even so, those residential facilities are only permitted for use “by the inhabitants of that lot or unit.”

That would exclude gyms, basketball courts, etc. which serve larger apartment communities. And if you have a hoop in you driveway, no more inviting the neighbors over for a game, per the order.

The increased regulations come as Broward County has the second-most confirmed cases within the state at 1,565. That’s as of a Friday morning update from state officials.