Miami-Dade restaurants to resume indoor dining -- at half capacity -- August 31

DeSantis encouraged by downward COVID-19 numbers

The state of Florida is seeing some positive trends when it comes to COVID-19 numbers. They're going down, from new cases to hospitalizations. Florida's percent positivity, the rate of new positive tests, is half of what it was just 6 weeks ago.

MIAMI, Fla. - Restaurants in Miami-Dade will soon be allowed to serve customers indoors.

The mayor made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. He originally banned indoor dining throughout the county back in July after a spike in COVID-19 cases.

However, health officials in the area are reporting a steady drop in cases, hospital admissions, and the number of COVID-19 tests coming back positive -- and therefore gave the mayor the green light.

“Today, we’re announcing that after consultation with our medical advisors and also from the White House Task Force, we’ve made a decision to allow indoor dining at restaurants to commence next Monday,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

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Starting August 31, all restaurants will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity. 

“The rules will be established,” Gimenez said. “There will be up to six people in a table, indoors and out. We want, if possible, if you have windows, the windows should be open in restaurants even in interior spaces. The doors should be open also for interior spaces of restaurants, and the air conditioning needs to be on all the time, not on automatic.”