New Sacramento coronavirus order to allow small outdoor parties. Restaurants, malls can open
Sacramento County announced Tuesday afternoon it has been given state go-ahead to reopen restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining, as well as stores for in-store shopping.
That includes reopening Arden Fair mall and strip malls for the first time in two months, and allowing families and friends to begin gathering outdoors in groups of up to 10 people just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson, however, said he is not giving the green light for those businesses or activities until Friday afternoon when he publishes a new county health order with detailed information about restrictions involved in those activities.
“Friday noon is our goal for the next order to be posted,” Beilenson. “That way restaurants can open for Friday evening.
“We are trying to be very judicious.”
County officials said the state approvals of the county’s reopening plan came on Tuesday, and allow the county to now approve outdoor family gatherings and social gatherings, such as weddings, barbecues and pool parties with 10 participants or fewer.
County health officials said people must continue to observe the 6-foot distancing rule during those gatherings, and should not share event equipment.
They also will ask people to wear masks when they shop at Arden Fair and other malls, and will ask retail stores to limit the number of people inside at any one point to allow for social distancing.
“Arden Fair and our retailers are enthusiastic about this next phase of reopening and are encouraged by the community’s constant support of local businesses during this quarantine period,” mall spokesman Nathan Spradlin said. “We are currently waiting on Sacramento County’s requirements and recommendations to ensure we are following all guidelines and will be working with our retailers to open soon.”
Standing outside a midtown Starbucks on Tuesday afternoon, Sacramento residents Ravi Singh and Robin Chauhan said they were excited about the county loosening restrictions.
“Excited and nervous,” Singh said. “Still, you know, coronavirus is not done yet.”
Although the coronavirus continues to infect people in Sacramento County, businesses are eager to reopen with modifications that public health officials hope will help stem future outbreaks.
Joe Genshlea, co-owner of Revolution Winery and Kitchen in midtown, says he’s ready to open his doors.
“This is welcome news,” he said. “We’ve been closed for over two months now. Restaurateurs have been waiting on pins and needles for this moment.”
He’s noticed more customers coming in to pick-up takeout food lately without wearing masks. He said that signals to him that many people, notably younger consumers, are becoming more comfortable being in and around a restaurant.
Still, he said, his industry is unsure about how many customers are likely to rush back to in-restaurant dining, and how many may wait longer. His own restaurant has an outdoor dining area.
“I think we will have some success when we reopen. We will try as much as possible to serve on our patio first. Inside, there will be significant distance between tables.”
The reopening announcements come as new county data show the infection curve has bent to what appears to be a stasis point, and hospitalizations for COVID-19 have dropped to a mere handful.
“Sacramentans should be proud of how well they have done,” Beilenson said.
But he warned the reopening plan includes plans to shut down events if people do not respect the new rules and if infection rates and hospitalizations creep up.
“We don’t want people to go hog-wild,” he said. “We don’t want 27 rafts together floating down the river. But we know it will be good for people to be out and sociable again.”
Officials said that special ceremonies and events such as graduations that draw crowds larger than 10 should be conducted as drive-through events, according to state rulings.
The approval makes Sacramento the 25th of the state’s 58 counties to reopen some businesses after two months of closures due to the coronavirus pandemic spread.
The reopenings are part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom four-phase plan to bring the state economy back to normalcy. Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Nevada, Yuba and Sutter counties got OKs last week to reopen.
Sacramento, where at least 1,250 people have been infected with the virus, is the largest county thus far to win state approval to move further into Phase 2 reopenings. Other large counties such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have not applied for permission to do so, saying they are monitoring their virus cases and are trying to be cautious about reopening.
The Tuesday state approval will allow a handful of business types to reopen in the county to reopen in the next few days, including:
▪ Micro enterprises
▪ Stores
▪ Agriculture, food and beverage cultivation, process and distribution
▪ Businesses that supply/support essential businesses open by appointment only
▪ Restaurants may resume dine-in seating with reduced capacity
▪ Outdoor gyms and recreation
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 3:35 PM.