Miami, Sep 11 (IANS): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a top state official have cleared the way for bars to reopen and restaurants to begin packing in patrons again, even as some pockets areas recorded recent spikes in the number of Covid-19 cases, the media reported.

Florida's top alcohol regulator Halsey Beshears said late Thursday that he will allow bars to reopen state-wide at 50 per cent capacity starting from September, reports Politico news.

In a statement, Beshears said he believes bars and breweries are now committed to health and safety standards amid the presence of the virus.

"It's vital that we start moving forward with this sector of our hospitality industry who have endured one of the toughest paths for sustaining a business during this pandemic," Politico news quoted the top official as saying.

His statement came just hours after DeSantis said he will allow restaurants to start packing dining rooms again.

He told reporters at a restaurant roundtable discussion in Fort Myers that he will lift a 50 per cent capacity limit on indoor dining "very soon".

The decisions came as cities such as Tallahassee and Panama City reported an increase in positive Covid-19 tests.

The state-wide rate of new cases as of Wednesday was 5.54 per cent, which is less than half the 12.24 per cent seen in Leon County where Tallahassee is located, the Politico news report said.

Bay County, home to Panama City, also saw a 12.26 per cent rate of new infections on Wednesday, a drop from the 22.99 per cent recorded the day before, according to a state Department of Health report.

At least 12,326 people in Florida have died from Covid-19 since March, and 654,731 have tested positive.