The City of Pensacola is extending the previously implemented COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines for city-permitted events through Thursday, March 11. The restrictions were initially set to expire Feb. 28.
The restrictions are as follows:
- The City of Pensacola will not issue new event permits for events at outdoor city venues. This will remain in effect through March 11 and will be re-evaluated at that time based on current COVID-19 conditions.
- Events that have already been issued a permit or events currently in the permitting process between now and March 11, located at outdoor city venues, will be allowed with the following restrictions:
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- No more than 100 in attendance
- Must show control of crowd congestion and follow CDC guidelines, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing (remain at least 6 feet from others who don’t live with you)
- Outdoor markets are allowed to continue above the 100-person cap, but must show control of crowd congestion and follow CDC guidelines, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing (remain at least 6 feet from others who don’t live with you)
- Indoor events at City of Pensacola venues are limited to 25% capacity or less, with COVID-19 protocols in place, including wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing . Indoor events also require Mayoral approval. This will remain in effect until March 11.
These restrictions only apply to City of Pensacola-permitted events at city venues and do not apply to private events. The city will work with event organizers to reschedule events as needed.
Meanwhile, as Mayor Robinson plays his Republican Party fiddle refusing to enforce the city’s mask ordinance, the COVID-19 bodies continue to pile up in the city. Today, I was in the Winn Dixie store on 9th Avenue. A shocking number of people were walking around without a mask. No one said anything to them. I was in Walmart yesterday. Same situation. I must have counted a dozen people not wearing masks just walking the short distance from the entrance to the pharmacy. The rest of the store was the same. Very oddly, it seems like a lot of younger women are now not wearing masks. I was in Publix on 9th Avenue on Tuesday. I counted 25 people not wearing masks. I asked someone I knew if they were aware that there was a city law that required masks be worn in stores like Publix. They told me that the mayor had repealed it. At least they didn’t give me the usual Republican pitch that they have a “right” to do what they want, or that it’s a hoax. I saw the store manager and assistant managers standing around and talking with people. People without masks walked right past them and they said nothing. On a regular basis, someone at the customer service desk would make a storewide announcement reminding people that Publix required customers to wear masks. It was like watching the theatre of the absurd. The person making the announcement could not possibly have missed the people standing right in front of him checking out not wearing masks. On the other hand, and a hopeful note, I went to the Publix in East Hill on Wednesday. Every person I saw in that store was wearing a mask. The woman who checked me out was wearing a “I Love Publix” button. I told her I liked it. She told me that it was “a happy store” adding that each Publix store was very different because of the manager. I’ll go back there again.