Businesses begin reopening with start of Phase 2
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald On the first day she can allow customers to come in and sit down at Guido's Pizza, Bailey Jasper turns on the "open" sign.
MOSES LAKE — The phone was ringing off the hook at Eden Salon, Inc., in Moses Lake on Tuesday morning. Down the street, tables and chairs had been restored to the dining room at the Red Door Cafe.
Customers were coming and going at Miller’s Jewelry, at the corner of Third Avenue and Ash Street. And there were so many customers scheduling appointments at Salon Envy on Ash Street that stylists were booking them two weeks out.
Phase 2 of reopening Grant County and its businesses was underway.
Businesses that had been designated by state officials as non-essential were closed in late March and restrictions on movement were imposed as part of the fight against the coronavirus. Governor Jay Inslee announced a reopening plan, in four phases, May 1.
Grant County qualified on Thursday, May 21, to apply for a waiver to move early to Phase 2. The county applied on Friday and was granted Phase 2 status Saturday.
Hair salons and barbershops are eligible to reopen in Phase 2, along with retail establishments. Restaurants were allowed to stay open throughout the shutdown period, but sit-down dining was prohibited. Restaurants were restricted to selling takeout. Now they can seat diners indoors.
Business operation is still restricted in some ways in Phase 2.
For instance, on Tuesday, Salon Envy and the Bloom Salon Collective both had signs on the door asking customers to wait outside and text the stylist, who would let them in.
“There’s a whole new document that outlines our state regulations,” Eden Salon owner Jeannie Huck said. Those regulations include a requirement that customers and stylists wear masks. The Stella & Me clothing boutique and Salon Envy each had a bottle of hand sanitizer for customers coming in the door.
For the first time in about 10 weeks Bailey Jasper, owner of Guido’s Pizza, could let customers come in and sit down — but she still is not allowed to fill her dining room.
“We are open and we are open at half capacity,” she said. That’s the Phase 2 maximum.
Nevertheless, she was glad the dining room was open. “I’m more than thrilled to be able to be open. I’ve missed everybody so much.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].