People dining outside a restaurant in Miami in July. Photo: Johnny Louis/Getty Images
Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced on Thursday that restaurant dining rooms can reopen at the end of August, the Miami Herald reports.
Why it matters: The move comes after Gimenez faced pressure from local leaders and restaurant owners to lift emergency restrictions on indoor dining to fight the spread of the coronavirus. The limits had been in place for nearly two months.
By the numbers: Miami-Dade, one of the largest hotspots for the virus in the country, has been Florida's hardest-hit county, with 152,612 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,253 deaths to date, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The big picture: This will be the second time dining rooms reopen since the start of the pandemic. Gimenez reimposed a ban on indoor dining in early July after his county experienced a surge in coronavirus cases.
- The mayor issued a 10pm to 6am curfew, as the state recorded its highest single-day coronavirus spike in July. Gimenez will not push back the curfew, but said he will revisit the issue after the Labor Day holiday weekend.
- Restaurants can resume table service inside on Aug. 31, though they must limit indoor capacity to 50%
- Requirements now include that eateries have air conditioning on, open windows and doors, and have no more than six people per table.