Dining al fresco is a refreshing option during the warm summer evenings, and for some restaurants outdoor dining is the only option. Other restaurants these days are still relying on takeout orders to stave off closure.
Just as Marin County restaurants were opening their doors for indoor dining, the option was taken off the menu as the county’s surge in coronavirus cases forced officials to slow reopening plans.
After being added to the State of California’s watchlist on July 3, Marin County’s COVID-19 numbers did not improve. Effective 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5, indoor dining has been effectively banned for a minimum of three weeks in Marin because of the ongoing public health emergency. The mandatory closure comes only one week after restaurants were allowed to offer inside seating for the first time since March.
Restaurant employees who have been in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic were preparing to go back to work as restrictions were lifted. With the new restrictions in place, they will have to continue to wait out the pandemic or find a new job elsewhere. Businesses like San Rafael Joe’s and Mill Valley’s La Ginestra are trying to keep employees on the payroll, but it’s difficult when business is slow.
“We were moving forward and every day was getting a bit better, then we were all shut down,” said Cynthia of San Rafael Joe’s, a longtime downtown icon. “We have a loyal fanbase, but the longer this continues, the harder it becomes to sustain the business.”
Business owners are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes that COVID-19 numbers improve enough in the next week to allow reopening plans to get back on track.
San Rafael Joe’s and other downtown restaurants are enjoying a “shot in the arm” with the weekly Dining Under the Lights series, as the city shuts down traffic access to Fourth Street between Lincoln Avenue and West End Village to allow restaurants to set up tables for al fresco dining on the street. The San Rafael Business Improvement District spearheads the event, which encourages local dining and strolling, happens every Thursday, from 5-9 p.m. There is some hope from restaurant owners the event will be expanded to include Friday nights as well.
Other communities throughout Marin and Sonoma counties are setting up similar events by closing streets to allow for increased outdoor dining, and even sidewalk retail shopping.
Outdoor seating and take-out service remain allowed at restaurants as long as public health precautions are taken. The California Department of Public Health has formed teams to help patrol restaurants and other businesses that refuse to comply with COVID-19 safety measures.
On July 2, Marin was added to the list of California counties that were being closely monitored for increased COVID-19 activity. Three consecutive days of statistical unimprovement meant the CDPH could shut down a segment of the economy or instigate a new virus containment strategy.
Marin County Public Health is urging renewed diligence by everyone on adhering to the shelter-in-place order first established March 17. Wearing facial coverings in public, washing hands often, adhering to social bubble guidelines, and practicing social distancing are among practices that will help curtail the coronavirus outbreak and lead to more openings in economic sectors. Learn more at coronavirus.marinhhs.org.
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