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Businesses and government officials across the Inland Empire reacted with frustration and resignation Thursday, November 19 to news that Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a 22-hour curfew for counties hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic , including the Inland region.
“It’s hard enough trying to run a business outside,” said Mike Brewer, owner of Sire Bar & Grill in Riverside, referring to existing restrictions on indoor dining.
Beginning Saturday, November 21, counties in the state’s purple level will be required to halt all non-essential construction, movement and gathering between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., on orders from Newsom. As of Monday, Nov. 16, 41 of the state’s 58 counties, including Los Angeles County and all of Southern California, are in the purple level. Ninety-four percent of Californians live in purple-level counties.
LA County had already set its own 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for bars, restaurants and related businesses on Tuesday, November 17.
Brewer said companies like his serve people who work non-traditional hours, like first responders.
“They have very limited options, as the evening wears on, for sit-down meals,” he said. “We keep our kitchen open until midnight, and now, with the curfew, we won’t be able to do that, and these people will have fewer opportunities to eat something after leaving a third shift.”
Stand Up San Bernardino County activist Kristie Sepulveda-Burchit, who opposed previous closings, questioned the logic behind the curfew.
“I don’t really know what this will be used for,” she said. “Is there any science behind a curfew?” Is there any science behind this?
Yes, according to Dolores Green, executive director of the Riverside County Medical Association.
“Between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. it’s a lot of big gatherings, parties and bars,” Green said. “It targets specific activities that we know are spreaders. I think for the health of the community we need to take these steps to try to get things under control before the flu season and the holiday season.
Dual functionality will likely be discontinued at Mission Tiki Drive-In in Montclair, Rubidoux Drive-In in Jurupa Valley, and Van Buren Drive-Ins in Riverside.
“Any second photo will not play in front of an audience,” said Frank Huttinger, vice president of De Anza Land and Leisure Co., which runs the three drive-in parks, all of which had reserved dual features for this weekend. end. “This is going to be a series of interesting phone calls to film distributors.”
Riverside County must curb the spread of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, according to Cindy Roth, president and CEO of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce and eliminate the need for similar restrictions going forward.
“We have emailed our members urging them to comply, but we will continue to work with the state to see what other alternatives there are to continue to bend this curve to get us out of that purple level.” Roth said Thursday.
She said her organization was working to publicize the new free coronavirus saliva tests offered at Riverside. Riverside officials said the county was in the purple level due to testing for most people with symptoms, giving a swollen impression of the number of COVID-19 cases in the county.
Bellflower-based Norms Restaurants, which offered 24-hour breakfasts before the pandemic, now closes at 10 p.m. most nights and most locations, but is open until 11 p.m. on weekends. This will change when the curfew goes into effect.
Norms’ top priority is the health and safety of its guests and staff, wrote CEO and Chairman Mike Colonna in an email.
“The biggest difficulty is in planning due to the constantly changing environmental circumstances, but I can assure you that Standards and the restaurant industry know how to serve customers in a safe atmosphere,” he said. he writes.
The United States surpassed 250,000 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, the most countries in the world. Locally, San Bernardino County and Riverside County have the second and third highest number of COVID-19 cases in California. On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Supervisory Board voted unanimously to prepare a lawsuit against Newsom over his coronavirus restrictions.
Newsom’s order remains in effect until the morning of December 21.
Editor Fielding Buck contributed to this report.
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