Just when some East Bay businesses were hoping to try and get back on track, a Bay Area county decided to take a step back with reopenings after signs of a COVID resurgence.
Contra Costa County last week gave businesses like restaurants the green light for indoor dining at 50% capacity. But on Friday, the county once again tightened up the rules because of an uptick in COVID cases.
“It’s challenging to navigate because when the number of customers increases, we have to adjust our food purchases, our staffing,” said Amy Sidhom, who owns Crumbs Breakfast, Lunch, and Bar in Danville.
Restaurant owners in Danville like Sidhom were just preparing for the 50% capacity rule when the county changed again what they are allowed to do.
“We never really got to try the 50%. It just started less than two weeks ago and in order to accommodate the 50%, we worked on barriers between the booths and we haven’t even done that yet,” Sidhom said.
Contra Costa County Health Services said the average daily number of new COVID-19 cases in the county increased after they moved into the les-restrictive orange tier on Oct. 27.
The county in response is rolling back indoor dining, movie theaters, and religious services back to 25% capacity. In addition, outdoor bars have to close and cardrooms cannot operate indoors.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara County is seeing a similar uptick in COVID-19 cases over the last week. Now the county’s public health department is urging people to stay vigilent.
So far, Santa Clara County has not announced any rollbacks.
Source: NBC Bay Area
Be First to Comment