Bay Area restaurants, salons prepare to reopen after state loosens restrictions

Bay Area restaurant and hair salon owners said they are excited and relieved to be back in the 'purple' tier after the state lifted the regional stay-at-home order statewide on Monday.

At Maven & Co Hair Salon in Pleasanton, it was the news stylists and color specialists have been waiting for the past seven weeks. The California and Alameda County Public Health Departments lifted the stay-at-home order and gave the okay to reopen.

"It's the best day I've had since December 6," said Jen Hatcher, referring to the last day before the new restrictions forced the closure of hair salons, gyms, outdoor dining, and all other non-essential businesses because COVID-19 cases were surging.

MORE: California lifts regional stay-at-home order

But with the new health order, the salon is re-opening with mandatory safety precautions, first thing Tuesday.

"This is huge. This is my livelihood. This is how I support my family and take care of my kids. To finally be able to do what I love," she said.

With Alameda County once again entering the purple tier retail stores can increase to 50 percent customer capacity. Zoos, movie theaters, gyms, places of worship, and restaurants can operate outdoors.

At Kingston 11, a Jamaican restaurant in Oakland, owner Nigel Jones is set to reopen his patio at lunchtime Wednesday.

"Outdoor dining also allows us, not just businesses, but how we sit in the community where people can have a place to chill and see friends," he said.

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Jones expects business to increase by 20-30 percent. That means more work for his employees.

"Now they get more take-home pay. Additionally, when people are dining here they tip more," Jones said.

For almost a year now, restaurants, hair salons and other small businesses have been yo-yoing between being open for outdoor, open for indoor, back to outdoor-only and in some cases closed.

"I'm hopeful this stays the way it is. But I could wake up tomorrow to something completely different," said Hatcher.

County health officials can always make these health orders more restrictive. But with vaccine programs ramping up, small businesses are hopeful the worst may be over.

Related: 

Many Bay Area counties expect to return to purple tier

California shifting to age-based COVID vaccine eligibility amid confusing rollout

San Francisco hopes to vaccinate 10,000 people a day