State public health officials on Wednesday gave Solano County permission to allow customers to sit down and eat inside a restaurant – a move similar to what’s happening in Napa County.
Retail stores and malls were also approved to reopen with social distancing protocols in place. Schools will be allowed to reopen later in the summer or fall. Solano County officials have yet to announce a decision as to when it would move into the next steps of the state's multi-phased reopening plan.
In Napa County, dine-in service resumed Wednesday. Napa was the first Bay Area county to move into the next stage of reopening, largely because it’s only had one COVID-19 hospitalization in the last two weeks. Some restaurants won’t open until this weekend, while they make sure they follow the correct protocols.
Napa County retail stores can also open again, with distancing and face mask guidelines.
“We’ve been affected by the online business even before all this, but luckily the Napa Valley is a big tourist area,” said Scott Lyall, who owns a clothing store in Napa. “We’re hoping to draw them back.”
Some of the businesses that have to wait awhile before reopening include hair salons, tattoo parlors and bars.
