Florida Coronavirus: Stay-At-Home Order By Governor
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order Wednesday directing Floridians to remain home unless they are engaged in “essential services” and “essential activities.”
The governor, who has been facing increasing calls to issue a stay-at-home or safer-at-home order, announced the measure Wednesday afternoon.
It will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday and expire on April 30 unless extended.
Speaking at a news conference, the governor noted his executive order follows President Donald Trump’s decision to extend the national guidelines for social distancing through at least the end of April.
“I think it’s clear that represents effectively a national pause,” DeSantis said.
For updates on the coronavirus in Florida, get Patch news alerts.
The executive order directs Floridians to limit movements and personal interactions outside the home to only those necessary to obtain or provide “essential services” or conduct “essential activities.”
The list of essential services mirrors the list compiled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the essential services outlined in multiple orders by Miami-Dade County.
The Miami-Dade orders define “essential services” to include pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, private offices, banks, hotels, hospitals, medical service providers, medical supply stores, hardware stores, gasoline service stations, auto supply or repair centers, veterinarians, pet boarding facilities, waste management services, mortuaries, cemeteries, funeral homes, and businesses that interact with customers solely through electronic means or by telephone and that deliver products via mail or delivery services.
The Miami-Dade orders also include private and municipal marinas, boat fueling stations, marine supply businesses, marine services, restaurants to the extent they are permitted to remain open, news organizations and auto dealerships.
They include private colleges, trade schools, technical colleges to the extent they must remain open for distance learning; dormitories to the extent they are needed to house students who can’t return home; motels and temporary vacation rentals to the extent they are permitted to operate, businesses that supply office products and other essential supplies for people who work from home, businesses that ship or deliver groceries, airlines, taxis, private transportation providers, home-based care providers for seniors, adults or children, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and senior residential facilities, professional services needed for legally mandated activities, landscape and pool care services, child care facilities that enable people to work, businesses operating at airports, businesses operating at seaports, businesses operating at government facilities, pet supply stores, logistics providers, telecommunications providers, businesses that provide propane or natural gas and factories.
The Miami-Dade orders also include businesses that support essential businesses, open construction sites, architectural firms, engineering firms and land surveying services.
The “essential activities” in the governor’s order include religious services in churches, synagogues and houses of worship; participation in recreational activities consistent with social distancing guidelines such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running or swimming; and taking care of pets or caring for, or assisting, a loved one or friend.
The order said that a social gathering in a public place is not considered an “essential activity.”
The Miami-Dade orders have been in effect for several weeks. Miami-Dade has been described as the epicenter of Florida’s coronavirus outbreak along with nearby Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Those three South Florida counties account for roughly 60 percent of the total cases in the state, according to the governor.
“We’re also in the executive order reiterating the previous guidance toward senior citizens,” DeSantis said. “If you are 65 and older, or if you are somebody of any age that has a serious underlying medical condition — including things like diabetes — you need to stay home, and you need to avoid contact with folks who may have the virus.”
DeSantis said the health outcomes for those groups are much worse once they contract the virus.
Click Here: Cardiff Blues Store
“The good news is if you look at the infections, it has skewed more younger than it did three weeks ago,” the governor said. “I think a lot of seniors are heeding the call. I think they are doing what it takes, what they need to do to protect themselves.”