Masks, temperature checks, and uncertainties have brought California’s retail economy back to a serious start

Linda Sims hid behind a booth opposite her husband Anson Saturday A busy bee cafe in downtown Ventura.

Her first decision made some judgment. I entered the restaurant for the first time since the coronavirus home order was imposed. The second decision was easier: get pancakes.

“We come here every 4th of July,” she said of a 1950s-style diner. “And this is where we always have breakfast.”

Simses, who was wearing a face mask while waiting for a table on the sidewalk, knows that there is now a risk in resuming, but it must happen someday.

“We are in a fragile time,” she added. “But what do you know? You have to sink your toes [in].. We need to patronize them if we know they are safe and want to be willing to know that they are not going to kill us. I’m fluttering at home. “

After more than 2 months of lockdown, California retail economy I started to revive on Saturday. This was the first weekend, as many counties got permission to reopen restaurants and retail outlets. It is a shopping mall for business.

The once buzzing California shopping and entertainment district saw a surge in customers, but it’s too early to tell if it’s enough to make a business sustainable.

The restaurant was to open with a new set of safety rules, such as face masks, employee temperature checks and customer social distances.

In most cases, merchants and customers played their respective roles. But there were some exceptions.

El Prez, Bar Pacific Beach District of San DiegoIt caught the attention after patrons posted a video featuring a crowd of drinking people who were maskless and very close to each other than the 6-foot standard set of restaurants under recently approved reopening guidelines. County supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the scene created an “imminent health and safety risk,” and county health officials worked with the notice of closure.

State authorities have now cleared 45 counties and have resumed eating at restaurants and shopping in stores. The latest were Orange and Riverside, two of the largest population centers in California. Orange County witnessed a sharp rise in deaths last week and officials said they were excited to be able to resume a devastated economy.

Before resuming, companies should review industry-related state guidance, prepare and implement a safety plan, and post an industry-specific checklist to the workplace.

“We understand that many companies are hitting us right now, and we’re eager to get back on with as few issues as possible,” said Don Wagner, county supervisor.

Orange County reopened possible Monday after Governor Gavin Newtham Adjusted the county requirements that must be met to accelerate the restart schedule.. In particular, Newsom announced that if the county recorded COVID-19 deaths in the last two weeks, it would no longer loosen rules at home.

Local leaders have been able to show less than 25 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, or less than 8% of residents who have been positive for the virus over 7 days , Can proceed towards a broader resumption. Data submitted by Orange County last week show that 7.95% of the population tested for viruses between May 13 and Tuesday are positive, just below the state’s maximum.

Public health officials in Orange County reported 12 new coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, reaching 130 deaths across the county. Nearly one-third of the dead were recorded in the last four days, and 10 were recorded on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on the 6th. By Wednesday, the county had not reported more than five deaths a day.

Staff Many of the new deaths were due to outbreaks in skilled nursing homes.. In total, 52 inhabitants of skilled nursing homes died as of Saturday.

The county also reported an additional 216 cases of the virus on Saturday, bringing the total county infection to 5,157.

Epicenter, Los Angeles County Coronavirus in California With more than 2,000 deaths, it is taking time to expand the restart. Authorities set a goal of reopening by 4 July.

Los Angeles County public health officials announced 1,032 new cases of coronavirus and 41 deaths associated with it on Saturday, but also showed promising signs of progress by delaying the spread of the virus.

According to the county, the average number of deaths over the last 7 days has decreased by 13% and the average number of hospitalizations over the last 3 days has decreased by 16%. Ministry of Health dashboard Tracks metrics related to recovery.

In addition, the percentage of people who test positive in LA County has reached an all-time low of 8.5%, compared to 28% in New York City, said Barbara Ferrer, county health director, on Saturday.

Her comments came the day after Dr. Deborah Burks, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator. We chose Los Angeles as one of the three metropolitan areas with many new cases every day, This is a cause for concern, she said.

The unemployment rate in California is currently 15.5%, and some relaxation can be expected by relaxing home restrictions.

The doors were open, but the restaurant was technically closed late Saturday morning when the first group of curious customers opened at Nature’s Grill, Thomas Larsen’s storefront cafe in Ventura.

“We open at 11 o’clock,” Larsen shrugged and whispered with a clothed face that covered her face whisperingly. 10:55.

At least not all Larsen didn’t want to wait another five minutes for the restaurant to open, not when they had been waiting for at least two months or more.

“Business doesn’t come back in a hurry,” says Larsen, which is lined with trendy five-block bars, boutiques, and restaurants in downtown Ventura whose main streetfront is 800 meters from the beach. “It was hard work, but I think everyone is navigating in the best way possible.”

According to Larsen, the closure disrupted his business and forced him to lay off all but a handful of 16 employees and board personal savings to avoid a complete closure. To resume, the restaurant will be subject to county regulations requiring thorough cleaning of all employee face covers and temperature screenings, sufficient customer social distance, menus, table tops and other frequently touched objects. Must agree

Larsen may be fooling the rules regarding opening times, but he’s sticking to what keeps those doors open. That is, he closes every other booth in his restaurant, moves some of the maple chairs and tables outdoors, and puts food in disposable containers.

“I’m going to overdo it,” he said. “I want to be cautious now. The whole pandemic is something you need to worry about. It’s not smart to just stuff people into the restaurant at this point.”

For Larsen, the fear of the new coronavirus is not theoretical. His sister, a Santa Barbara nurse, was tested three weeks before contacting a COVID-19 patient. I had a long time waiting for the result.

“It’s absolutely real,” Larsen said. “It’s something everyone needs to take seriously. When it’s safe to come out and eat, people will have to decide for themselves. Some take time.”

Times staff writers Hannah Fry and Lindsey Winkley from the San Diego Union Tribune contributed to this report.