Governor DeSantis reopens Florida restaurants and bars at FULL CAPACITY after decline in COVID infections and ends fines for not wearing a face mask

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, including restaurants and bars, and dropped penalties for not wearing a face mask - sparking a protest among upset residents.   

DeSantis made the announcements during a noon press conference in St. Petersburg, and quickly drew ire from residents who protested the new protocols.

He argued that threat of the coronavirus pandemic - which has surpassed seven million cases and 203,000 deaths - had eased sufficiently to allow the state to enter Phase 3 of its reopening. 

'We're not closing anything going forward,' said DeSantis. 

Phase 3, which takes effect immediately, allows restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity with limited social distancing protocols. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state would enter Phase 3 on Friday and a number of pandemic restrictions were ended

Restaurants and bars in Florida were given the okay to operate at full capacity with limited social distancing mandates

'Businesses should maintain adequate sanitation practices among employees and patrons during all hours of operation.' the state's plan read.

'Menus, if laminated, should continue to be cleaned after each usage. Paper menus shall be designed for single use and then disposed of immediately after use.'

But establishments will also be able to operate at a minimum of 50 per cent regardless of local rules.

The order also requires local governments to justify any COVID-19 related restrictions on restaurants and bars. 

Bill Hasselback , the owner of The Leon Pub in Tallahassee, Florida, says bars have been treated unfairly during the coronavirus outbreak

DeSantis: 'Every business has a right to operate...You can't say no after six months and just have people twisting in the wind'

It's unclear how Miami-Dade County and Broward County will navigate the new provisions as they continue to have the highest cases in the state.  

Florida's COVID-19 dashboard reports that Broward recoded 75,872 confirmed cases and 1,364 deaths. Dade County dwarfed that with 167,677 cases and a death toll of 3,202.

Additionally, Phase 3 allows for fitness, recreational and personal care businesses to operate at full capacity, removing restrictions set in earlier phases.

'This will be very, very important to the industry,' the Republican governor said. 'Every business has a right to operate...You can't say no after six months and just have people twisting in the wind.'

But the plan had certain provisions set in place for older Americans who might be at risk.

According to Associated Press, the city of Miami have issued $14,400 in fines to people who were not properly following the mask mandate.

'Individuals older than 65 years of age and individuals with a serious underlying medical condition can resume public interactions, but should practice social distancing, minimizing exposure to social settings where distancing may not be practical, unless precautionary measures are observed,' it read.

DeSantis said his order also suspended all outstanding penalties for individuals who have been fined for not following COVID-19 restrictions. 

'Just as an act of executive grace, all outstanding fines, and penalties that have been applied against individuals have been suspended,' he said.

Residents who previously violated the mask mandate were fined $100, or could perform community service work if they could not afford the fine.

According to Associated Press, the city of Miami have issued $14,400 in fines to people who were not properly following the mask mandate. That number jumped to $2million when businesses were included. 

Friday's announcement prompted some local residents in face masks gathered outside the news conference.

Signs reading, 'DeSantis Lies Florida Dies' and  'You Can't Distract Us From Your COVID Failure' were waved as one protester spoke over a blow horn. 

Some Floridians protested entering Stage 3 and the roll back on face mask mandates on Friday as DeSantis made the announcement 

DeSantis added that should cases increase, the state had created precautions and responses that would tackle the spread.

'If we see an increase, we’re not closing anything going forward,' said DeSantis, CBS 4 Miami reports. 

'But I think if you look at our hospital capacity, if you look at what we did to marshal the latest medications, if you look at what we’ve done to help with all the (personal protection equipment) and the testing and everything, you know, we have the tools in place that we need,' he said.   

DeSantis' statewide rollback comes after Florida was among a number of states that were inundated by cases as they skyrocketed this summer. 

DeSantis : 'I think if you look at our hospital capacity, if you look at what we did to marshal the latest medications, if you look at what we’ve done to help with all the (personal protection equipment) and the testing and everything, you know, we have the tools in place that we need'

Florida has been hit hard by the pandemic, with more than 690,000 testing positive and 13,900 dying from the virus. 

With 3,100 cases per 100,000, the state ranks second only behind Louisiana in its rate. But since the end of July, the state has seen a decrease of cases and hospitalizations, DeSantis said. 

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Florida released a statement that called for testing to be done to help Floridian's overcome the virus.

'Some of the top economists across the country have told Gov. DeSantis in no uncertain terms that the economy will not recover until he gets the virus under control,' the statement read, per CBS 4 Miami.

'Yet, the governor is preventing potentially life-saving restrictions while COVID-19 cases are still well above the levels that health professionals deem safe for reopening. 

'Prohibiting restrictions, especially in high-risk settings for spreading the virus-like indoor dining, will prolong economic damage and risk lives unnecessarily.' 

CBS 4 Miami reports that DeSantis' announcement comes one week after a report found an unemployment rate of 7.4 per cent in August, and some 735,000 Floridians are out of work.

General revenue collections reportedly surpassed economists' expectations, but were still $83.1 million below a projection made before the pandemic hit.

'Given the nature of the fiscal shock wrought by the pandemic, comparisons to the same month in the prior year produce the most meaningful metrics,'the report read.

'In this respect, overall collections in August 2020 are down 4.6 percent from August 2019.'