Yesterday, Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy L. Morales sent a memorandum to members of the city's Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee that outlines what he described as a "Resilient Recovery Plan" for the city, including restaurants.

Morales did not set a schedule, but he based his approach on the White House's recently released Opening Up America Again guidelines and noted that the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimates June 8 as the "earliest date that Florida can relax social distancing with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size."

The plan addresses many aspects of daily life, including schools, childcare, transportation, government services, parks, places of worship, community centers, hotels, retail, beaches, entertainment, bars, and restaurants.

Restaurant reopenings would proceed in two phases, according to the memo and accompanying information.

Phase one would allow restaurants to open with outdoor seating only at first, and would request that restaurants consider special hours to accommodate vulnerable populations. In addition, restaurants would operate at 50 percent capacity or require a minimum of six feet of space between tables. Employees would be required to work staggered shifts and wear masks, and hours would be reduced and menus limited. Restaurants would be required to implement measures to prevent servers and bussers to cross-contaminate tables. Establishments with liquor licenses could offer table service, but bars would remain closed to patrons.

Under phase two, restaurants would be allowed to relax social-distancing measures and increase capacity.

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