Reopening California: Newsom gives guidelines to reopen dine-in restaurants, malls, offices and more in CA

ByLiz Kreutz and Alix Martichoux KGO logo

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

When will CA restaurants, malls reopen? Here's what Newsom says

Gov. Gavin Newsom released guidelines that dine-in restaurants, office buildings, shopping malls and other businesses across California will be required to follow in order to reopen.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced modifications to the statewide stay-at-home order Tuesday to allow more businesses in California to reopen amid the coronavirus crisis, including dine-in restaurants, shopping malls and offices.

In order to open for sit-down or dine-in service, restaurants must:

Have disposable menus or post menus online so diners can view them on their own devices
Cutlery, napkins and cups should not be "pre-set" on the table before diners sit down
Avoid use of shared condiments (salt shakers, ketchup, etc.)
Pre-roll utensils in napkins before giving them to customers
Takeout containers for leftovers must be filled by customers (not kitchen or wait staff)
Thoroughly clean tables, chairs, etc. after each group's use
No table-side food preparation (such as for guacamole)
Bar areas inside restaurants should stay closed

Diners should also wear masks inside restaurants when they aren't eating.

PHASE 3: Gov. Newsom teases next stage of reopening California businesses is closer than we thought

Another bit of good news: The loosened restrictions on takeout alcohol continue. "Licensed restaurants may sell "to-go" alcoholic beverages, prepared drinks, and pre-mixed cocktails provided they are sold and delivered to customers in conjunction with the sale and delivery of a meal/meals," read the new state guidelines.

See the full guidelines for restaurants here.

Gov. Gavin Newsom released detailed rules that dine-in restaurants across California will be required to follow in order to reopen.

Newsom said the state has also developed guidelines for office buildings to reopen if workers are not able to work remotely. In order to open, companies must follow these new rules:

Train employees on safety and self-screening
Do temperature and/or symptom screenings daily for employees
Redesign office spaces to allow for 6 feet of spacing between workers
Close or restrict common areas
Do extra cleaning on high-traffic areas like break rooms, elevators, etc.
Require employees to disinfect personal work areas
Require employees to avoid handshakes
Adjust or modify hours to allow people to better space out
Consider installing systems to bring more outside air in

See the full guidelines for offices here.

Other businesses that may now start reopening include shopping malls (for pickup only), outdoor museums, botanical gardens, car washes, pet grooming service and dog walking services.

For malls, including outdoor shopping centers and strip malls, to reopen for pickup, they must:

Follow similar employee training and cleaning procedures as other retail businesses
Frequently disinfect high-touch surfaces (like ATMs and benches)
Turn off public drinking fountains
Encourage the use of credit cards and install hands-free payment systems where possible

See the full guidelines for shopping malls here.

Outdoor museums are being asked to keep maximum capacity low, create different entry and exit points so people don't have to pass each other in close proximity, discontinue group tours, close interactive exhibits and more. (See full guidelines here.)

ALSO: LA County's stay-at-home order will likely remain in place for next 3 months, officials say

In order to open dine-in restaurants, offices, malls and other businesses in California's Phase 2 of reopening, counties must first prove to the state they meet the following criteria:

No more than one new COVID-19 case per 10,000 residents in the past 14 days
No COVID-19 deaths in the past 14 days
Essential workers must have access to PPE
A minimum of 1.5 tests per 100,000 residents being conducted daily
At least 15 contact tracers per 100,000 residents
Ability to temporarily house 15% of the county's homeless population
Hospitals are equipped to handle a 35% surge at minimum
Nursing facilities have a two-week supply of PPE
Continue to monitor metrics to potentially re-enact restrictions

So far only Butte and El Dorado counties have been given the green light to move forward with further reopening.

The Bay Area, on the other hand, seems to be taking it slower. Several counties have decided to push back even the reopening of retail for curbside pickup (which was allowed at the state level starting last week) to mid-May.

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