Don't expect heavy foot traffic when Miami-Dade and Broward counties partially reopen Monday, but changes implemented during the coronavirus pandemic are here to stay.

"I am imagining a horse race where you have the horses all lined up and they blow the whistle and everybody is just off to the races. I don't think it's going to be that way," said Katy Welsh, a retail landlord and tenant representative. "Maybe over a period tenants will slowly start to go back to their stores and slowly start reopening."

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday greenlighted reopening two South Florida counties starting Monday with restrictions following a two-month lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19. Both counties already compiled their own phased plans starting with shops and restaurants at 50% capacity.

Other parts of the state with less intense outbreaks already lifted stay-at-home restrictions and could indicate what's in store for South Florida.

Some tenants at Indian River County's Indian River Mall opened in early May, but foot traffic has been light, said Welsh, who is a Colliers International director of retail services in Boca Raton and does leasing for the mall.

If patronage is slow in the beginning, it's expected to pick up in two weeks to a month, Welsh said.

Most tenants at Miami Manager's shopping plazas throughout South Florida plan to open on the newly approved schedule.

"Most of the tenants who we are communicating with can't wait to open," said Claudio Mekler, the co-founder and CEO of the Sunrise-based company, Miami Manager's tenants include Starbucks, Dollar Tree, CVS Pharmacy and Dick's Sporting Goods.

While it's unclear how quickly retail sales will rebound from the 16 percent plunge in April, it's certain to look a lot different from pre-pandemic times.

Curbside pickup of items ordered online became the norm, and it's here to stay, Welsh said. Previously, retail leases forbade tenants from using the public right of way such as sidewalks for order pickup, but they are being reworked to allow it.

Some restaurants and municipalities have announced they will expand outdoor dining to allow for social distancing. Miami Beach is closing famous Ocean Drive to cars to allow diners to spill onto the street and make more room for pedestrians.

Restaurants can open at a 50% capacity, which is more than the 25% starting rate in most of the rest of the state. For those opting to reopen, sanitizing of frequently touched surfaces will be a priority.

Miami Manager stepped up cleaning services at its shopping plazas and advised tenants to regularly sanitize door handles and credit card terminals, Mekler said.

Also, you can expect to have your temperature taken and be handed a mask and gloves if you don't have them when entering a business, according to Welsh.

"I do think that the way we shop is forever changed," she said.