Coronavirus California

'Real sad moment': East Bay businesses react to Newsom's new order forcing them to re-close

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

'Real sad moment': East Bay businesses react to Newsom's new order forcing them to re-close

Business owners in Alameda and Contra Costa counties face another struggle, after finally being able to reopen, and abruptly being shut back down.

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- There is mixed reactions Monday to the governor's tightening of restrictions across the state.

In the East Bay we are already seeing changes due to the governor's actions.

Contra Costa and Alameda counties are both on California's watch list.

Hair salons and barber shops are now closed in Contra Costa County and outdoor dining is officially not allowed in Alameda County.

"This is just a real sad moment for us," says Tamrah Derrico who owns The Mane Gallery in Concord. Her salon recently reopened but is now being forced to close because Contra Costa County is now on the state's watch list due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

"I think the hardest part is that people aren't taking this serious and this is my life, this is my business."

Derrico says she has spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,000 for things like separators, washable seat covers and sanitizer, but now the items will just sit there due to the closure.

Others though, have a different take.

Tone "The Fade Master" Thomas is a Richmond barber who is all for the closure. He says business was so busy that he was increasingly fearful for his safety.

"I was about to lower my clientele because I got so busy after I opened up with the numbers going up I actually got nervous."

In Alameda County, all the talk is about outdoor dining which was open for several weeks, but then closed this past Friday night.

The county is applying for a variance that would reopen outdoor dining, but that request is now being made with the county on the watch list.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Here's what's open, closed in the San Francisco Bay Area

"At this point it's a waiting game," says Ana Varraza who works at Crogan's restaurant in Oakland.

Many counties already have a variance in place and that is now something Alameda County is attempting to do.

Employees tell ABC7 News they don't understand why this wasn't done weeks ago.

Some we talked with still don't understand why they're not labeled as an essential business, something that Derrico addressed when we spoke with her Monday evening.

"I think it's pretty essential especially with what we do we've taken all the protocols we're safer than most grocery stores that you go in so I don't quite get it."

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