Florida’s top regulator discusses how to open bars safely

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s top business regulator said Saturday it planned to organize meetings with bar owners to discuss how they can safely reopen their businesses, as the Sunshine State outnumbered New York State in the total number of cases of coronavirus.

Halsey Beshears, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said she planned to start organizing meetings with bar and brewery owners across the state later this week to discuss how they can reopen without spreading the virus.

At the end of last month, Florida banned alcohol consumption in its bars, for the second time this year, in response to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

“We will develop a safe, smart and step-by-step plan based on input, science and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible,” Beshears tweeted.

Last week, members of the Florida craft brewing industry sent a letter to Beshears and Governor Ron DeSantis, warning that nearly a third of 320 craft breweries in Florida could be forced to close in the coming weeks if the restriction over- Consumption of the site continues.

“The health of our community is paramount, but it cannot be a vital saving for hundreds of entrepreneurs, the livelihood of thousands of families and most of an entire industry,” says the letter.

The Florida Department of Health reported 12,199 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state total from March 1 to 414,511 cases. Florida surpassed New York State’s 411,200 cases and is now only followed by California with the highest number of cases in the country.

Florida also reported 126 new deaths, bringing that total from the start of the pandemic to 5,894 deaths on Saturday. In comparison, New York State has had more than 25,100 deaths.

The state health department has recorded 892 deaths from COVID-19 in the past week, an average of 127 per day.

The number of hospitalizations on Saturday decreased slightly from the previous day. Health officials reported 9,035 coronavirus hospitalizations in Florida, 2% less than Friday.