Pittsburg business owner stressed after county delays reopening after sharp rise of COVID-19 cases

Tuesday, June 30, 2020
PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- Governor Gavin Newsom was in Pittsburgh on Tuesday where he provided an update on the state's initiative to place homeless people in hotel rooms amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His visit comes after he announced Contra Costa County will now join the state's coronavirus watch list from a sharp increase in cases.

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Indoor dining, bars, gyms, hotels, nail salons and more were scheduled to resume July 1, but on Monday, Contra Costa Health Services announced they will push back that opening date indefinitely.

On Monday Governor Gavin Newsom said if a county is on the watch list for two weeks or longer, the state will order them to roll back reopening.

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Contra Costa Health Services says the average number of newly identified COVID-19 cases has increased from 39 a day to 68.

Natalie Cooper owns Lumpy's Diner in Pittsburg. She said everything is constantly changing.

"The state says one thing and then it goes to the county and it's like every day is something changing," Cooper said.

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She said what made it stressful was preparing her staff for reopening on July 1 and then finding out a day and a half before that won't be the case.

"We worked really hard," Cooper said. "Cleaning the restaurant, organizing, training. We've ordered extra supplies, extra food and now all of that is going to be pushed back - so there's going to be a lot of time money wasted that we're not allowed to open."

Cooper said right now she's doing to-go services, and thanks the community for their support. Anything helps.

"The unknown is scary like, we don't know what's to happen and we're barely hanging on," Cooper said.

WATCH: SF business owners frustrated as city delays reopening due to rising COVID-19 cases
SF business owners frustrated as city delays reopening due to rising COVID-19 cases


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