Daily Life

As the weather warms up with social distancing shelter-at-home orders in effect until at least until May in the Bay Area, I have a feeling the next battle in social distancing is going to be the restaurant patio. Currently, restaurants can offer either take-out or delivery. Recently I noticed one city’s local email newsletter tout open restaurants. Some offered take-out while others offered both take-out and delivery. What surprised me were those that only indicated they were open. Surely this must be a mistake I thought. So I called a few of them up to see what the deal was.

I asked if I bought something could I eat it there. They said I could eat out by the patio if I wanted to. And there you go. They know they have patios, but instead of publicizing patio dining, they leave it as an unspoken feature.

My prediction: the first weekend with nice weather, restaurant patios are going to be semi-packed with diners eager to get out and enjoy the weather. The media will report about it, possibly with egregious video / photographic evidence. And patios will be forced to close. Just like parks, playgrounds and other outside public areas that people congregated to.

Have you noticed diners eating out at restaurant patios?

I’ve been harping about coronavirus since before it was officially declared a pandemic, with increasingly distressing news from around the world, and now it has come to this. A Shelter at Home order in all of Contra Costa and other Bay Area counties, mandating people stay home except for essential needs through April 7th, punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.

From the FAQ:

Vulnerable populations must stay home. Everyone should stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary health care, or go to an essential job. It is OK to go outside for walks if you are not in a group. It may be extended depending on recommendations from public health officials.

What’s Closed?

• Dine-in restaurants
• Bars and nightclubs
• Entertainment venues
• Gyms and fitness studios

• You cannot engage in group activities in person with others.
• You cannot have dinner parties. You cannot invite friends over to your home to hang out.
• You cannot go to a nail salon or get your hair cut by a stylist or barber.
• You cannot go shopping for non-essential goods.
• You cannot take unnecessary trips on public transport or in your car or motorbike.

Stay safe everyone!

Photo by Flickr user alachuacounty

As more and more restaurants, bars, cafes and shops are impacted by effects of the coronavirus pandemic, small businesses and their employees are surely suffering as they temporarily close or limit their capacity in order to stop the spread of the virus. Thanks to a reader for pointing out that there is a special Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster program specifically for coronavirus, providing low cost loans up to $2 million which you can find out about here. Contact your local chamber of commerce if interested.

Another reader also pointed out that many restaurants offer take-out services so help support local restaurants by ordering take-out when you can.

As coronavirus infections and deaths mount throughout the world, increasingly stringent orders are coming into effect locally in order to maintain social separation among people so as not to overwhelm hospitals. Schools are closing for multiple weeks coinciding with spring break. Check out the latest Bay Area school closures here. Are there any schools remaining open round here?

With many people working from home with school-aged kids, I imagine there will be plenty of  families at home together which should be quite an interesting experience!

Photo by Unsplash user Ani Kolleshi

How concerning is this? Step one for me is to stop touching my face!

From an advisory:

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) has confirmed the first positive case of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, involving a resident of the county.

The person tested positive this afternoon. Our County’s public health lab conducted the test, which is expected to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in the coming days. The patient, who is being treated at a hospital in the county, had no known travel history and no known contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

This movie theater scene from 1995’s Outbreak makes me nervous: