While the beginning weeks of 2021 unfold, it has come to the people’s attention that outdoor dining and indoor salons will be allowed to reopen. On January 25, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom lifted the stay at home order in California, which will resume dining festivities as long as health guidelines are followed. While resuming outdoor dining will be beneficial for smaller restaurants and businesses, questions are starting to arise concerning the safety of people. Los Angeles Times health reporter Soumya Karlamangla came to a social media platform, Twitter, stating her feelings about the upcoming reopening of restaurants and businesses. “Lifting all the rules when cases are still high will give them room to start growing again! Just because we’re past Christmas/NYE doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods in preventing that terrifying surge-upon-a-surge. That’s so terrible, rationing care scenario.”

From the beginning of December 2020, California underwent one of the strongest coronavirus restrictions in the country. Los Angeles is still seeing a massive increase in their case numbers. Public health officials claim that despite a “no mask no business” mandate, Southern California is still very much susceptible to a large outbreak. This rise in cases may also be due to the poverty rates causing more people living close together. With all of this information surfacing, there is much debate about whether or not reopening these restaurants and stores is in the best interest for the people.

Newsom’s recent choice to resume patio dining and open stores is very controversial to most, considering that Orange County remains in the purple tier for COVID-19 cases. LA Times shared Gavin Newsom’s reasoning behind his decision. “We’re seeing a flattening of the curve — everything that should be up is up, and everything that should be down is down,” Governor Gavin Newsom released this statement in a news conference Monday. “All regions, effective immediately, are no longer [under] the stay-at-home order and will move back into ‘the blueprint.” With these statements released to the public, most people do not approve of this bold choice.

The primary reason behind this decision is the declining rates in the ICU and case numbers. Orange County is going to continue to operate while remaining in the most-restrictive “purple” tier, meaning that restaurants may reopen for outdoor dining. Barbers, nail salons, and hair salons are also able to reopen with a limited capacity. This choice was triggered by the abrupt alteration in California’s four-week projection of the overall ICU capacity. The capacity increased across five regions statewide, which came out Monday.

Another concerning factor surrounding restaurants reopening is the mask mandate. There are some people that simply refuse to wear a mask which can create a safety concern for others. This results in a very unsafe environment that may jeopardize restaurant business and the CDC guidelines becoming more intense. In order for businesses to succeed during uncertain times like these, it is crucial for anybody leaving the house to social distance, apply hand sanitizer, wear masks, and be courteous of others.

In conclusion, this abrupt decision may or may not be crucial to the safety of others. However, it may be a step in the right direction for business to operate for the economy. If things don’t run smoothly, it may result in businesses shutting back down until everybody is vaccinated. However, with the controversy circulating about the vaccine, it is hard to tell what the end result will be. This decision may be positive or negative, but only time will tell the outcome.

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/01/25/california-lifts-stay-at-home-order-outdoor-dining-salons-to-reopen/?sh=3c0d5b45c356
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2021-01-25/with-states-stay-at-home-order-lifted-some-in-orange-county-can-get-back-to-business