‘It’s been devastating.’ As COVID-19 rules loosen, some Merced businesses look to open shop
Some Merced County businesses say they are ready to reopen Friday, nearly eight weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a shelter-in-place order due to the coronavirus pandemic
Many people like Tawni Vargas, manager of downtown’s A Blooming Affair Floral & Gifts say they are looking forward to slowly picking up the pieces of their operations, following weeks of lost revenue after the closures of their businesses.
Still, nobody in the business community expects reopening will mean getting back to normal — at least in the short term. “For us, its been devastating,” explained Vargas. “Even when the doors open back up, we can never recoup that income that’s been lost,” she added.
Newsom on Thursday gave guidance on how businesses like A Blooming Affair can progress into Stage 2 of the statewide stay-at-home order, which imposes restrictions aimed at curbing the virus’ spread.
As of Thursday, coronavirus cases in Merced County rose by five to 157 total confirmed infected residents since the beginning of the pandemic, according to County Public Health. Sick individuals account for 63 of those cases, while 91 have recovered and three have died.
Newsom’s original March 19 stay-at-home order deemed some small businesses like A Blooming Affair as “non-essential” — and consequently their doors have been shut since.
The shift to Stage 2 means bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods stores — all shops where curbside pickup is easily facilitated — can reopen with modifications Friday. The new guidance is detailed in full on the state’s website.
Despite Vargas doing some no-contact flower deliveries during the stay-at-home order, flower shops have been wracked by wedding, funeral, prom, graduation and other event cancellations amid the pandemic, she said.
The opportunity to reopen with modifications the Friday before Mother’s Day is “wonderful,” she said, noting that business is looking good this weekend.
Starting Friday, Vargas is doing curbside pickup and no-contact delivery for phone and web orders of flowers. Staffing is at about 75% on account of a full staff being unable to social distance within her small shop.
Vargas plans to open the doors to the shop Monday with a sanitation station up front. “Know that we’re excited,” Vargas said. “We’re proud of our community for sticking this out.”
Other Merced County stores reopening
Also reopening Friday is Envy Fine Clothing in Atwater and Merced. Entry will be limited to four patrons at a time at the Merced location.
Plus, the Castle Air Museum will reopen Friday for the first time since closing on March 23. The museum will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m at 5050 Santa Fe Dr., Atwater.
Castle Air Museum Executive Director Joe Pruzzo sent a letter to Merced County asking if the museum would be allowed to open if they follow strict Center for Disease Control social distancing guidelines.
“We’ve been closed for about 40 days,” Pruzzo said. “We need to get some revenue generated again.”
Pruzzo worked closely with Merced County Supervisor Daron McDaniel to make sure safety guidelines are met.
“This is not a knee-jerk reaction,” Pruzzo said. “This is carefully planned and carefully orchestrated. We’re not a defiant group.”
The museum is all outdoors, and staff say they will facilitate social distancing at exhibits. Other safety measures include hand sanitizer and plexiglass barriers at the cash register in the gift shop. Only five people will be allowed in the gift shop at once.
Are the revised rules enough?
Other places like offices and dine-in restaurants will be part of a later Stage 2 opening, according to state officials. Churches, hair and nails salons, shopping malls, schools and movie theaters are still excluded from reopening under Stage 2, too.
Merced County officials and city leaders recently said the restrictive order has taken an unjustified toll on businesses in rural communities, where the coronavirus pandemic has not hit as hard as more urban areas.
Mayor Paul Creighton of Atwater and Mayor Mike Murphy of Merced each sent letters to the governor last week asking that restrictions be lifted locally for the sake of the economy. Neither received a substantive reply, they said.
Murphy said the updated state guidance is a step in the right direction, but he would like to move faster.
“This gives (businesses) an opportunity to show that they can operate safely,” Murphy said. Reopening should be based on whether businesses can do so safely, not if officials deem them essential, he said.
Creighton expressed frustration over the state and county’s slow pace. “They need to show some leadership and take the initiative,” Creighton said of the county. “They need to put their constituents first.”
The Atwater mayor explained he would have liked to see Merced County follow Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties in defying the state-wide orders that required many businesses to remain closed.
“If Atwater had the authority over the Health Department, the entire county would have opened up,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, every business in Atwater should open up.”
Closures have caused Atwater to take a big hit financially, made worse by the fact that the city never truly recovered from the Great Recession which struck around 2008, Creighton said.
Creighton said he trusts Atwater businesses to can reopen safely. “If you open up in the city of Atwater, we’re not coming to shut you down,” he said.
Murphy expressed similar sentiments at the Merced City Council meeting Monday. “If you can operate safely within the City of Merced, there is not going to be a local enforcement action against you,” he said.
Merced County to discuss faster reopening
The state-wide transition into Stage 2 permits some counties to reopen quicker — if they meet certain readiness criteria.
Local city and county leaders have advocated lately for Newsom to approach coroanvirus-related policies regionally, rather than applying one-size-fits-all restrictions statewide.
“This move by the governor recognizes that different regions should be able to have different safety protocols,” Murphy said.
Counties wanting to reopen faster must submit a readiness plan and reach certain benchmarks. These include: a low prevalence of COVID-19 cases, meeting testing and contact tracing criteria, preparing their health care system for a sudden rise in cases and planning to protect vulnerable populations.
Merced County officials Thursday morning drafted a readiness plan, said County Public Information Officer Mike North. The plan may need revising once the governor’s guidance is released, but officials want to get a head start, North said.
The Merced County Board of Supervisors will convene Friday for a special meeting to discuss and possibly approve the readiness plan. County officials want to move as far as possible into Stage 2 in terms of helping local businesses, North said.
On Wednesday the county and its six cities collaborated to get an early start on reopening plans with the launch of www.reopenmercedcounty.com. The site has information, resources and guidelines for business owners to prepare to reopen after remaining shut for weeks.
Traffic to the site Thursday morning was high enough that it went down for several hours, according to the Merced County Facebook page. It has since been brought back up and operating.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 6:41 PM.
