The ongoing coronavirus crisis has caused havoc in so many areas of life in the United States. And tourism is one of them. Those of us who live in Louisiana know the sting, because we are a major tourist destination for thousands of people, especially during the summer. And, with the unofficial kick off to summer coming up next weekend, a lot of Louisiana folks are looking towards Florida and Alabama beaches for a quick getaway for Memorial Day.

Up until today, the Governor of Florida, Rick DeSantis, has implemented a ban on short term rentals. In layman's terms, that means condos, although, since late March some hotels and resorts have been exempt. According to the folks who run the Old 98 Destin Beach Cams page on Facebook, they posted Tuesday morning that 'We just got word that the entire panhandle is now open for vacation rentals immediately!'

Several other sources are posting about the vacation rentals, including the official Twitter pages for Okaloosa (Destin) County, Escambia (Pensacola) County, and Bay (Panama City) County. Santa Rosa County (Gulf Breeze, Navarre) and Walton County (Sandestin, Miramar Beach) have also confirmed the opening.


Of course, there are some restrictions, and you can read all of them from WEAR TV . Some of the restrictions for Escambia include:

 

  • Reservations and stays will be allowed from U.S. states with a COVID-19 Case Rate less than 700 cases/100K residents as of May 15.
  • Reservations from COVID-19 hot spots identified by the Governor are to be avoided for the next 30- 45 days

Some of the restrictions for Okaloosa County are:

  • Vacation rental reservations from areas identified by Governor DeSantis as high risk, through Executive Orders (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) must be for periods longer than the quarantine period established in that Order.

 

 

Fun in the Sun South Louisiana Style

 

 

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