GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County Emergency Management, in Unified Command with the Florida Department of Health in Clay County, the Board of County Commissioners and Clay County Manager, is responding to COVID-19 by following the guidelines issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday as Florida moves to Phase I of re-opening plan.

While executive orders prohibiting the leasing of vacation rental properties, the closures of gymnasiums, fitness centers, bars and nightclubs and the mandatory 14-day isolation following travel from cruise ships and international areas with a significant number of people infected with COVID-19 remain in place, other restrictions will be lifted on Monday, including:

- Restaurants and food establishments may allow on premises consumption of food and beverage, limiting capacity to 25% of their building occupancy and providing for physical distancing of six feet between parties indoors and out. Parties will be limited to 10 or fewer and bar counters will remain closed to seating.  

- In-store retail sales establishments may open store fronts, operating at no more than 25% of their building occupancy and must abide by CDC guidelines.

- Museums and libraries may open at no more than 25% of their building occupancy, child play areas shall remain closed.

- State parks will be re-opened.

- Elective medical procedures prohibited by Executive Order 20-72 (Non-essential Elective Medical Procedures) may resume. Hospital and office surgical centers, dental office, orthodontic office, endodontic office and other health care practitioners’ office procedures may resume providing the facility has the capacity meet a surge demand if needed. Offices must have adequate PPE supplies.

- Executive Order 20-69 (Local Government Public Meetings) which suspends the requirement to have a quorum present for a local government body to meet at a specific public place and allows local government bodies to use communications technology such as telephonic and video conferencing is extended for the duration of this order. 

- The Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Health shall utilize their authority under Florida Law to implement and enforce these requirements.

The governor also said senior citizens and individuals with significant underlying medical conditions shall stay at home and take measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.