California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday the guidelines for restaurants to reopen as part of the state’s response plan to the coronavirus pandemic.
California is currently in Stage 2 of Newsom’s four-stage plan to reopen the state. Stage 2 is divided into two parts, and each individual county will be able to move into the second part of Stage 2 if it meets certain criteria in regards to coronavirus testing and results.
Once a county moves into the latter part of Stage 2, restaurants can begin to allow in-person dining in addition to curbside pickup.
The 12-page guidelines that the state released are specifically directed for dine-in restaurants, brewpubs, craft distilleries, breweries, bars, pubs and wineries.
The state requires restaurants to create a workplace specific plan that deals with health safety measures such as social distancing.
California’s guidelines encourage reservations to plan out when customers will visit restaurants and where to seat them.
“It’s going to be very trying, even with these modifications,” Newsom said.
The state also released a checklist for dine-in restaurants which summarizes the guidelines.
Newsom also announced new modifications to the state’s stay-at-home order, which includes allowing offices to reopen where teleworking is not possible, reopening malls and strip malls for curbside pickup and reopening outdoor museums.
The state is also allowing car washes and pet groomers to reopen.
Butte County and El Dorado County are the first counties to move into the second part of Stage 2, Newsom said. They met the self-certification requirements that the state detailed last week.
Newsom said that the state has talked with 27 counties about the self-certification process to move further into Stage 2.
About 70 percent California’s economy is open with modifications, Newsom said.
