Florida Keys to Reopen Hotels, End Checkpoints in June

The Florida Keys will reopen to tourists starting June 1, allowing hotels to resume business at 50 percent capacity, Monroe County officials said.

The county added that checkpoint screenings to gain access to the Keys by road will also be removed, and bus restrictions and airport screenings will be eliminated, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

The Miami Herald reported that as of Sunday, the Keys had 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, 3 deaths, and 12 hospitalizations.

“Should the Florida Keys experience an increase in cases and under the advisement of the Florida Department of Health, restrictions may be heightened, and amenities may again be closed,” county spokesperson Kristen Livengood said.

The decision to reopen was made because of the Keys’ low coronavirus infection rate compared to neighboring Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Livengood said the only new cases in the past week came from an upper Keys nursing home.

The Keys have been closed to nonresidents or people who do not own property in the area since March 22. Airports in Key West and Marathon currently remain open, but passengers are screened upon arrival and advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

On March 27, checkpoints onto roads into the Keys were added to keep tourists and nonresidents out.

Officials announced the June 1 reopening plan Sunday night, when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said gyms could reopen, and restaurants could operate their dine-in services at 50 percent capacity.