PHOENIX (AP) - Some restaurants in Arizona reopened for dine-in service Monday as Gov. Doug Ducey relaxed more measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
From large chains to mom and pop eateries, restaurants were allowed to host patrons for the first time in nearly two months at limited capacity and with other restrictions that include more space between tables and no parties with more than 10 people.
“Our goal is not to be busy for the first week,” said Phoenix-based restaurateur Sam Fox. “Our goal is to make sure we have our procedures in place, our employees are feeling safe. We really want to get this right the first time.”
Fox, the founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts with a variety of the brands around Arizona and the country, said 11 stores opened Monday in four markets. Flower Child locations in Atlanta, Phoenix and Tucson are open, along with The Henry and Dough Bird. He plans to follow with several Culinary Dropout and Zinburger locations in the coming days.
Restaurant owners described a variety of steps they’re taking to ensure customers and workers feel safe, from separating tables to providing masks, gloves and health screenings for employees when they arrive.
In a Flower Child restaurant in the Phoenix neighborhood of Arcadia, the usually crowded restaurant had many tables missing. Some of the others were marked as reserved to maintain distance between customers. A handful of people dined on salads, bowls or entrees, but most of the food went as takeout.
Chompies, a local chain, installed plastic screens between booths.
“We’re just excited to be back up and running and to be able to do the thing we know best, and that’s to make food, see family get-togethers and be able to interact with the public again,” said Frank Lara, vice president of operations for Chompies.
The Downtown Diner in Flagstaff reopened Monday after being closed since late March. Dine-in customers were offered packaged plastic utensils, to-go boxes, and to-go cups with lids and straws. But General Manager Mark Gent said some opted for traditional dishes, silverware and mugs.
“People are pretty bold,” he said. “I think people are ready to get that little sense of normality back.”
In the diner that lures customers with neon lights and showcases license plates from across the U.S., every other table was closed as well as a back room. Salt and pepper shakers were being kept behind the counter, hand sanitizer and wipers were available at the door, and the staff was wearing masks. The diner that has been a mainstay in downtown Flagstaff for nearly 30 years also had reduced hours.
When the pandemic hit, the restaurant struggled to do enough in takeout and curbside sales to stay open. The landlord worked with the owners on the rent, and they waited it out.
Sophie Follin, who started working at the diner in September 2018, was forced to look for another job. She applied at grocery stores, knowing she’d be competing against lots of other people recently out of work, and for unemployment.
She was relieved when the governor announced restaurants could reopen.
“So nice. Literally last night, I was so excited,” the 22-year-old said. “It felt like the first day of school.”
On the Navajo Nation, which is seeing some of the highest infection rates in the United States, restaurants remain limited to takeout and delivery. The tribal president was considering extending the restriction beyond May 17 when it is set to expire.
Tribal officials on Monday distributed food, water, protective masks, cleaning products and other items to 361 Navajo families in the New Mexico communities of Sanostee and Tohatchi.
In making the decision to allow restaurants to reopen, Ducey cited a downward trend in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. However, some restaurants posted on social media that they will remain closed until the governor’s stay-at-home order expires Friday or they feel prepared to meet the new conditions.
Ducey said other facilities, including gyms and swimming pools, will be permitted to open later. He said he’s still discussing dates and safety protocols with industry representatives. Movie theaters have asked to reopen on July 15 and don’t expect studios to release new movies before then, he said.
The governor has been hammered by some fellow Republican lawmakers who were angered by his extended closure order amid the tanking economy. Some Republicans fumed when he warned business owners that they’d put their liquor licenses at risk if they defied his orders and reopened before it was authorized.
Meanwhile, six additional virus-related deaths and another 260 confirmed cases were reported Monday by state officials. The figures brought statewide totals to at least 11,380 cases and 542 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
On the Navajo Nation, 82 more confirmed coronavirus cases and two deaths were reported Monday - pushing the death total to 102. But of the 3,204 COVID-19 cases, tribal officials say many patients have recovered or are in the process of recovering.
Officials say a sharp increase in new cases is likely because of a recent push for more testing sites, with results showing the percentage of positive tests is trending downward.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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This story has been corrected to show that Flower Child locations are open in Atlanta, Phoenix and Tucson on Monday. Dallas stores are not yet open.
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Associated Press writers Terry Tang in Phoenix and Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff contributed.
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