Miami-Dade Restaurants May Soon Reopen For Indoor Dining

Restaurants in Miami-Dade County may soon be able to reopen their indoor dining rooms.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that it may happen as early as next week, but capacity will be capped at 50%.

"It's now of course the timing, and I expect it to happen sooner rather than later," Gimenz said during on Monday. He is speaking with public health officials and local business leaders about a potential reopening date.

The mayor's announcement comes as the two-week positivity rate for the coronavirus is dropping in South Florida. CBS Miami reported that the two week positivity rate was over 10% in the county, but that has now dropped into the single digits.

If restaurant dining rooms are able to reopen, Gimenez said restaurants will still have to follow the county's 10 p.m. curfew.

“Curfew still stays at 10 o’clock. We don’t want people to have parties, etc. Those social gatherings, that’s where the problem is occurring,” Gimenez said.

Cities can still enforce stricter restaurant regulations than the county so this isn't a guarantee that all Miami-Dade restaurants will be allowed to open their dining rooms.

Indoor dining has been banned in the county since July, leaving restaurants to rely on outdoor dining or take-out. Since then multiple notable Miami restaurants have had to close for good because of financial losses.

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