Businesses in several states reopened their doors Monday, hopeful to bring back customers while managing expectations and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday marked another key date for states that are beginning to partly lift some social distancing restrictions in a test of how to safely reignite the economy during the pandemic, which has caused almost 1.2 million known cases in the U.S., with nearly 70,000 deaths.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide stay-at-home order remained in effect, although two counties north of Sacramento went against the order by allowing "lower risk" businesses to reopen Monday. Restaurants, gyms, salons, tattoo parlors and other businesses in Yuba and Sutter counties could open their doors with social distancing and face covering rules in place, said Dr. Phuong Luu, the public health officer for the counties.
At Lambert House Cafe in Yuba City, Kelly Davis, a longtime cook, said customers were already outside at 6:30 a.m., a half-hour before the diner opened. "They said, 'Oh Kelly, we missed your pancakes,'" she said. "It was wonderful to see them, and they still want a hug, but we're not doing that."
Davis said the restaurant has stepped up its cleaning procedures and cut its seating capacity of 42 in half. Staff members are also asking customers to wear face coverings indoors if they have them. A few people left the restaurant over the request, she said, but most complied, and the cafe was packed until it closed at 2 p.m.
Tim McKenna, who helps his wife run Linda's Soda and Bar in Yuba City, said most customers Monday were regulars. The restaurant, which cut customer capacity in half, is disinfecting doors, tables and bathrooms far more routinely, but he said that staff members didn't wear masks and that he wasn't about to ask his customers to.
"I'm not the social police," he said. "If that creates a problem, I'll deal with it. But we're dealing with adults who come out to eat food. If they don't want to wear masks, I'm sure not going to require them to."
California's stay-at-home order, which has been in effect since March 19, allows restaurants to only offer takeout and delivery services.
Newsom said Monday that the state would allow some manufacturing and retail businesses to reopen Friday with curbside pickup. But he said restaurants weren't included in the guidelines, which are set to be released Thursday.
Asked what consequences counties like Yuba and Sutter will face, Newsom told reporters that they could quickly come into compliance. "We tend to focus on the exceptions, not the overwhelming majority," he said. "The overwhelming majority are doing the right things."
Florida's statewide stay-at-home order expired Thursday, with a partial reopening going into effect Monday in every county except Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward.
Restaurants and retail stores were allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity if local governments allowed it.
Joe Nuzzo, who owns Suncoast Surf Shop on Treasure Island, told NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa that the pandemic has been difficult for him and his employees. He said that while he was excited for beaches and business to reopen, he was concerned about people behaving safely.
"The only concern I have is everybody is going to be too lackadaisical," Nuzzo said. "It's serious. One of my best friends died from that, so I'm not ready to see — I'm not willing to make money so people can die."
Nuzzo told WFLA that he plans to let only two customers in the store at a time and to take other safety measures.
"We're going to leave the door open," he said. "People won't have to touch anything as they walk in the store. We've got somebody that's going to greet them, and they're going to spray themselves with sanitizer."
In Pinellas County, beaches reopened Monday morning with spacing restrictions, groups limited to no more than 10 people and uniformed deputies present to monitor visitors.
