Florida bars and nightclubs have been ordered to shut their doors as state and local governments impose new mandates aimed at minimizing the spread of the novelcoronavirus.
In efforts to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus, COVID-19, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all bars and nightclubs to shutdown at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
This shutdown would be in effect for the next 30 days and would require restaurants to cut their seating capacity in half and stagger seating of customers.
This decision was made after more than 200 individuals in Florida have tested positive for coronavirus, with more than a thousand still waiting on test results.
DeSantis has not yet ruled on how local businesses should be run; he has allowed them to use their judgment on how to limit public activities.
Cities around the state of Florida have shut down tourist attractions, closed their beaches and completely closed nightclubs due to the outbreak.
“I am honestly sad I had to cut my Spring Break short this year. My first day in Miami was a complete nightmare because I couldn’t do anything my group planned to do. So instead of staying in Miami, we decided to just return home,” said Raven Garrison, a junior health science student at Florida A&M.
While there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Leon County, business owners and residents alike are impacted by the new orders from the governor.
Zoe Mishele is a worker at Sweet Pea Café on Tharpe Street, and she worries about her job and her future.
“I feel like it is really important to be super careful, especially in a restaurant because we serve food. In my restaurant, we have stopped all dine-in orders and we are only giving food to-go. This prevents workers from being in contact with people who might have the virus,” she said.
“I am nervous for my job being that we are a local business. We won’t get paid time-off and we have already seen a huge decrease in sales, leading our manager to cutting hours. I’m so concerned about my bills and the security of my job as a whole,” Mishele said.
Some residents in Tallahassee said they don’t like the early closings and shut down of bars and nightclubs.
Dayna Lynn, a bartender at Top Flight nightclub, said, “I’m sad that my job closed until further notice. This leaves me with no income and makes me worry because I’m not sure when we will re-open. I relied on customers each night, now I have nothing.”
DeSantis said “reducing density” is the best thing the state of Florida to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.