Local restaurants given OK to reopen for outdoor dining

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The impact on local businesses may be difficult to determine and predicted cold and rain this week could dampen some of the enthusiasm, but Gov. Newsom’s decision today to remove the state’s stay-at-home order was welcomed by City of Menifee officials.

Although Southern California remains in the highest-risk purple tier regarding COVID-19 restrictions, removal of the stay-at-home order allows restaurants to offer outdoor dining once again. It also allows barbershops, nail salons and other personal care services to reopen.

“The City of Menifee is very glad to see our COVID-19 case numbers slowly, but steadily, going down,” said Armando Villa, city manager for Menifee. “We want our businesses to be open more fully to safely serve our residents and visitors and also so our local businesses can survive what has been a difficult year for many.

“The City is proud of the 83 applications for $415,000 in Menifee CARES small business grants we have provided to Menifee businesses since July, and the many innovative programs our team has developed to support our growing community since the pandemic started.”

Today’s action should benefit restaurants that had limited their service to takeout orders only during the stay-at-home order. But with more rain predicted in the coming days and colder winter weather settling in, it is unclear how many patrons will be willing to eat outside restaurants under a tent covering.

Some restaurants in Menifee have been defying the order by offering indoor dining anyway. In addition, residents report that some hair and nail salons also have been operating despite the order.

In a statement today by the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Tomas Aragon said, "Together, we changed our activities knowing our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it's important to recognize our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner."

“Today we can lay claim to starting to see some real light at the end of the tunnel as it relates to case numbers,” Newsom said.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has decreased somewhat in recent days, but in today’s report for Riverside County, an additional 6,011 confirmed cases were reported since Friday, with an additional 80 deaths. In Menifee, there have been an additional 228 confirmed cases and two more deaths.

At least one California lawmaker was critical today of Newsom, who faces a possible recall vote. The Wall Street Journal reported today that a recall effort has received 1.2 million of the 1.5 million signatures needed by March 17 to put a recall initiative on the ballot.

“Once again, the governor moved the goalpost and made a decision based on secret data that the public was not allowed to know,” said Senate Republican leader Shannon Grove. “It has been 312 days since the first of his many lockdown orders that have shuttered businesses, closed schools, destroyed jobs, and led to a massive fraud of taxpayer dollars.

“Without the full release of data, it has been difficult not to speculate that the governor has been using the livelihoods of 40 million Californians as political pawns. Californians deserve full transparency, especially when their life, livelihood, children’s education, and mental health are being directly affected."