COVID-19 Restrictions & Regulations in St. Augustine, Florida

Note: The restrictions listed below are current as of September 16, 2020, but we all know that things are moving quickly right now! Have a question about restrictions or regulations in town? Contact us with any specific questions. You also can visit these pages to read the latest orders:

• State of Florida Updates: www.flgov.com/2020-executive-orders/
• St. Johns County Updates: www.co.st-johns.fl.us/coronavirus/closures.aspx
• City of St. Augustine Updates: www.citystaug.com/812/Coronavirus-COVID-19

Based on our reading, here is a summary of orders that could affect your visit to St. Augustine. If you’re interested in what St. Augustine is doing specifically to keep our visitors and residents safe, please scroll down.

What is Open:

• Restaurants are open, with 50% indoor capacity based on spacing or effective partitions, and outdoor seating with six feet of space between tables. Most restaurants continue to offer curbside and to-go options. Individual groups are limited to 10 people or less.
• Bars, pubs, and nightclubs are now open, with 50% indoor capacity. They are restricted to only serve alcohol to seated patrons. Groups are limited to 10 people or less.
• Retail stores can now accept shoppers up to 100% of their typical occupancy.
• Museums and libraries are open, at 50% of their usual capacity.
• Gyms & Fitness Centers – can operate with social distancing capacity, and sanitizing machines and surfaces after use.
• Professional Sports Venues – sports team training and games are allowed. The Jaguars are currently allowing fans in the stadium.
• Amusement parks–Disney opened in mid-July, and all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios) are open, as is Disney Springs. Waterparks are not yet open. Universal Studios opened in early June.
• Spas, hair salons and nail salons are open.
• Movie theaters are open, subject to 50% normal occupancy, and 6 feet of social distancing between guests. Locally, our Epic Theater is showing outdoor, drive-in movies, and the Corazon Theater is offering in-home movies for a fee.

• All Bayfront Marin House rooms are currently open. That includes the Beachcomber Cottages on Vilano, the downtown inn, the Sanchez House, and the Marine Street Apartment. Breakfasts are being delivered to guestrooms at our downtown location, and breakfast baskets are being delivered to the beach cottages. We have employed a bunch of technology–from keyless locks to a texting program that lets you know when your room is ready–to keep you safe. We call it our “safe stay” routine…and we’re pretty proud of it!
• We have made adjustments to our normal operations to ensure safety for our guests and team. You can see them here.

Activities:

• • Residents and guests over 65 should continue to shelter in place, as should people with other medical conditions.
  • Attractions around St. Augustine are all open, including the Lighthouse, the Castillo, Colonial Quarter, Oldest Schoolhouse, and most of the house museums. Pena Peck house and shop are closed.
  • State parks are open.

Beaches, Recreational and Concert Venues:

• Beaches in St. Johns county are open as usual. No lifeguards are on duty so surfing and swimming are at your own risk.
• The Amphitheater and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall are closed until further notice.
• Golf courses in St. Johns County are open.
• As always, call before you go!

Bars and Restaurants:

• As of June 5, St. Augustine restaurants can serve food outdoors provided the chairs are six feet away, and can serve indoors at 50% capacity, based on their normal occupancy allowances. Most restaurants continue to offer take out, and curbside service. You can see a current list of restaurants who offer take out here.
• Bars were reopened September 13, after being closed earlier in the summer. Bars are defined as establishments that get 50% or more of their sales from alcohol. Establishments must maintain proper social distancing between patrons, and groups are capped at 10 people or less. Restaurants are able to serve alcohol to-go provided it is in a sealed container and consumed off site. Restaurants are also able to sell alcohol to in-house patrons.
• Social distancing guidelines are to be followed when participating in any outdoor activities. That means a mask if it could be crowded, and it means 6 feet of distance between you and other people.

What is St. Augustine doing specifically to keep our visitors and residents safe?

St. Augustine recently purchased 900 Kinsa thermometers to distribute throughout the city. Kinsa thermometers work with an app, and can see any spikes in temperature that could suggest an outbreak. In this way, the city hopes to stay in front of any outbreaks or surges.

St. Augustine also has purchased 80,000 disposable masks, so all downtown businesses have access to protective wear for their employees, and our Chamber of Commerce has distributed free safety kits to businesses–including a box of gloves, a box of masks, and hand sanitizers. The Green Trolley is giving a mask to all guests when they buy a ticket.

Several of our breweries and the distillery are producing hand sanitizer. It is for sale on their websites, and in their storefronts.

That sums up what we know for now! Like everyone, we’re trying to stay on top of all changes and recommendations. If you have any questions, you can always give us a call – we’re forwarding the phone from 9am to 5pm each day. Our number is 904.824.4301. Stay safe!