It looked pretty straight forward at first: Movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades and fitness centers all were supposed to close Friday, another aggressive step to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
So were concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, gymnasiums and beaches.
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the shutdown in Broward and Palm Beach counties, effective immediately, a day after Miami-Dade County had closed similar “non-essential businesses.” The governor called South Florida the epicenter of the state’s coronavirus outbreak, with more than half of the state’s cases.
Trouble was, the governor’s order allowed the two counties to “enforce, relax, modify or remove” the closings. It also said his restrictions were “minimum standards” and municipalities could impose more stringent ones.
The language opened the door to a patchwork of regulations around South Florida. By afternoon, confusion reigned over what could open, what had to close, who was going to enforce it and what local governments planned to do.
Worse, it left some areas more vulnerable to the virus than others.
Under the order, these businesses were supposed to close:
Restaurants, bars, taverns, pubs, nightclubs, banquet halls, cocktail lounges, cabarets, breweries, cafeterias and any other alcohol or food service business with seating for more than 10 people.
Movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums and playhouses.
Bowling alleys and arcades.
Gymnasiums and fitness centers.
Beaches.
Businesses that could remain open included:
Grocery stores.
Pharmacies.
Gas stations.
Convenience stores.
Restaurants’ pickup or delivery services.
Restaurants in airports, ports, secure facilities and hospitals.
Fitness centers in residential buildings, police or fire stations or hotels that have a capacity of 10 people or less.)
Some cities had already gone farther than that. Coconut Creek, for example, on Thursday imposed a daily curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., beginning Friday.
But in West Palm Beach, Mayor Keith A. James ordered that all restaurants close their dine-in options by 9 p.m. Saturday, a day later than the governor’s order.
The situation was more baffling in Broward County. Late in the afternoon, County Administrator Bertha Henry issued a news release contesting reports that the county had shut down businesses. She noted the governor’s order and the possibility that local governments could enact more stringent measures, which some already had. But Henry never said what Broward intended to do, and county officials did not return calls seeking clarification.
Instead, county commissioners scheduled a meeting for 10 a.m. Tuesday — four days later — to discuss “emergency measures that have been taken, along with other measures that may be considered in an effort to control community spread of the virus.”
How the new restrictions would be enforced was equally unclear. A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office said the agency would be “relying upon public notices, education and in extreme cases enforcement” — but she could not say what that enforcement entailed.
In Palm Beach County, a sheriff’s deputy was surprised to see gates blocking the entrance to Gulfstream Park, a public beach and play area south of Briny Breezes.
The deputy said he had no idea that Desantis several hours earlier had ordered the beaches closed, bars shuttered and in-door dining closed. A park ranger at the gate could not explain why some park areas were closing and others were not.
“I don’t know. They just told me to come out here,” he said.
DeSantis’ order went further than restrictions he imposed earlier in the week. The governor on Tuesday ordered that all bars and nightclubs had to close, but he allowed restaurants to remain open with restrictions on occupancy to limit contact among customers. He also allowed beach gatherings of fewer than 10 people.
DeSantis said he ordered new measures Friday because some restaurants did not adhere to the limitations in place earlier in the week.
“The vast majority of restaurants did it. They abided by the restrictions,” he said. “Some didn’t, and it’s just the type of thing that we don’t have time to police that, so we’re going to takeout and delivery only, which is somewhat unfortunate because it’s going to be hard for some of these restaurants to survive in this environment.”
To soften the blow, DeSantis’ office waived restrictions on to-go alcohol sales, so restaurants can now deliver alcohol with meals.
His office also is allowing bars to sell alcohol back to retailers, so those that stocked up on “a lot of good stuff” for Saint Patrick’s Day can make back the money they lost.
“Heck, they may even get a premium on it because it’s [so] in demand,” he said.
Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine said he supported the steps the governor ordered Friday. He said they provided “a strong consistent message from all three counties.”
“If it’s closed in Miami-Dade, but open in Broward, you’d have flow into Broward,” he said. “It’s got to be coordinated. If one county does something, and another neighboring county doesn’t do it, it’s problematic — it pushes [the problem] from one area to another. Everyone has to be on the same page.”
That wasn’t true Friday. Around South Florida, some business stretches looked like ghost towns. In others, restaurants were crawling with customers, even after the governor’s order.
Parking was unusually easy to find on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, but some restaurants still had customers eating inside.
At the empty Lemon Grass, workers said they had no idea whether they were still supposed to be serving.
“My boss said to just wait until we find out,” said manager Tai Inseeyong. “I just don’t know what we are to do.”
At Planet Fitness in West Palm Beach, among the facilities that were supposed to close, Tori Baker covered his hands with two sets of gloves — flimsy plastic ones and a fingerless set of winter gloves — before stepping onto the treadmill.
Of the 30 treadmills available, he had his pick since none of them were being used. He was OK with the forced closing, saying he had athletic equipment at home.
Some businesses were not as happy.
Randall Fernandes owns a nitrogen ice cream shop in Plantation called N7Ice Cream. He switched to takeout and delivery only, but he’s lost half of his sales in the past week.
“We understand officials have to do what they have to do for overall public health,” he said, but he’s been open only a year and a half — and he’s worried about staying in business at all.
“Being shut down for unknown amount of time, it’s hard to plan financially,” he said. “It’s a lot of question marks, the kinds of questions that keep you up at night.”
Renee Zapata owns Salon One80 in Weston. She employs 15 employees and is now worried how long she’ll be allowed to remain open.
“I’m a single mom with two kids,” she said. “Everything I have I’ve put into this business.”
On Friday she — and some others in her plaza — left a message for their landlord asking to get their rent suspended.
“Very, very scary,” she said.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com or 954-572-2008 or Twitter @LisaHuriash
