On Friday, we found out that Splitsville was reopening at Sparkman Wharf. Well, the whole damn place follows suit on Tuesday, May 19—with restrictions of course.
Sparkman Wharf, located in between Amalie Arena and the recently reopened Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa, made the announcement on Monday, adding that it’s implementing the following safety measures.
- Staff is not to report to work in the event they experience any COVID-19- related symptoms within 72 hours prior to the start of their shift
- Patrons must adhere to social distancing guidelines
- Limited occupancy of Sparkman Wharf
- Wearing of masks or facial coverings and gloves by staff while working or interacting with others
- Increasing hand sanitizer stations on property
- Disinfecting common areas including seating, restrooms and dining areas
- Removal of lawn games and most furniture.
Sparkman Wharf closed its dining garden on March 20 in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A rep for the Sparkman Wharf—a one-acre park surrounded by 65,000 square feet of ground-level retail—could not give Creative Loafing Tampa Bay hard numbers on the capacity, but said officials would monitor levels to make sure social distancing was still possible.
The updated hours are 3 p.m.-9 p.m Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Sparkman Wharf is closed on Mondays, but this coming Monday is an exception with the place open from noon to 8 p.m. as part of Memorial Day weekend.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Florida’s “Full Phase One”—which allows restaurants and retail shops to increase indoor capacity to 50%, among other things—begins on Monday, May 18.
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