Sacramento business owners hesitant, hopeful for eased restrictions
BACK TO YOU. TY: BACK TO OUR CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE. MILLIONS MORE CALIFORNIANS ARE NOW ELIGIBLE TO GET VACCINATED. TONI: THE STATE IS OPENING UP THE REQUIREMENTS TO THOSE WITH CERTAIN HEALTH CONDITIONS AND DISABILITIES, AS WELL AS THOSE EMPLOYED IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES. TEO TORRES IS WORKING FROM HOME. HE HAS MORE ON WHO CAN NOW GET THE SHOT. GOOD MORNING. TEO: GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU. THIS WILL ALLOW AN ESTIMATED FOUR AND A HALF MILLION MORE CALIFORNIANS TO GET THE VACCINE. THERE IS SPECIFIC CRITERIA. LET’S GO THROUGH THESE HEALTH CONDITIONS. ACCORDING TO THE STATE’S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ANYONE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 64 WITH CANCER. KIDNEY DISEASE, PULMONARY DISEASE, DOWN SYNDROME, ORGAN TRANSPLANTS, PREGNANCY, SICKLE CELL DISEASE, HEART CONDITIONS, OBESITY, AND TYPE TWO DIABET ALSO NO QUALIFIES. PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL OR HIGH-RISK DISABILITY ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE. DR. VANESSA WALKER SAYS ITS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE AT HIGH-RISK TO GET THE VACCINE. >> I HAVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF PATIENTS WITH COVID FOR A LONG TIME NOW AND ITS NOT ALL ABOUT AGE. I’VE HAD MANY PATIENTS IN THEIR 50’S, 40’S, WITH DIABETES, OBESITY AND THEY ARE FREQUENTLY ON VENTILATORS, HIGH-RESOURCE UTILIZERS, VERY VERY SICK, OFTEN TIMES DI SO, I THINK IT IS VERY GOOD TO GET THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY AT RISK OF GETTING SEVERE COVID OR HOSPITALIZED AND EVEN DYING, LET’S GET THEM VACCINATED. TEO: ELIGIBILITY IS ALSO EXPANDING TO INCLUDE PEOPLE IN JAIL, PRISON, OR TREATMENT FACILITIES AND THE HOMELESS. UTILITY WORKERS WHO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES, PUBLIC TRANSIT WORKERS, JANITORS AND DISASTER SERVICE WORKERS, MASSAGE THERAPISTS AND LIBRARIANS WILL ALSO BE ELIGIBLE, STARTING TODAY. LAST WEEK, THE STATE RELEASED GUIDELINES THAT SAID PEOPLE WITH THESE CONDITIONS OR DISABILITIES WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION TO VERIFY THEIR DIAGNOSIS. BUT THEY MAY BE ASKED TO SIGN A SELF-ATTESTATION THAT THEY MEET THE CRITERIA. BACK TO YOU. TONI: THANK YOU. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS NEARLY 11.8 MILLION VACCINE DOSES HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA. THAT’S ABOUT 75% OF THE 15 MILLION DOSES THAT HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO THE STATE, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS THERE WERE JUST OVER 1400 CASES REPORTED STATE-WIDE ON SATURDAY. THAT’S THE LOWEST NUMBER IN MONTHS. THE 7-DAY POSITIVITY RATE IS DOWN TO 2%. THAT’S THE LOWEST IT’S EVER BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. AS A RESULT, STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS EXPECT ANOTHER 13 COUNTIES WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE TO THE RED TIER TOMORROW. ON THE LIST, SACRAMENTO, SAN JOAQUIN, AND YUBA COUNTIES. WHILE IT’S NOT OFFICIAL YET, THE NUMBERS APPEAR TO BE ON PACE WITH RE-OPENING, JUST IN TIME FOR SAINT PATRICK’S DAY. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE PROMISED TO BRING MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE RED TIER. YESTERDAY THE NATOMAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTIFIED PARENTS THAT IF THE COUNTY MOVES INTO RED TOMORROW, THEY WILL REOPEN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS NEXT MONDAY, WITH MINIMUM DAYS. THOSE WHO OPTED TO CONTINUE DISTANCE LEARNING WO
Sacramento business owners hesitant, hopeful for eased restrictions
Updated: 8:42 PM PDT Mar 15, 2021
Sacramento County is expected to loosen COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday.The county’s anticipated move to the red tier would allow some businesses to reopen indoors with limited capacity. Sacramento had been in the purple tier previously — the state’s most stringent tier for reopening — for months when case rates and deaths were at record levels across the state.Moving to the red tier means indoor dining and movie theaters can reopen at 25% capacity or up to 100 people, whichever is fewer. Gyms can open indoors at 10% capacity. Museums, zoos and aquariums can open indoor activities at 25% capacity.KCRA 3 News spoke with business owners and city leaders about the possible shift.David Gull, New Helvetia Brewing Company”I’m hopeful. I’m definitely hopeful that the 25% indoor allowance now will give us a little bit of a boost. I think this industry — not just breweries, but restaurants, pubs, bars, hospitality in general, has really taken such a huge hit over the course of the year. Obviously, we want to get it to 100% as soon as possible. It also brings with it risks. We’re going to continue with mask-wearing mandates and encourage customers to be courteous as they’re moving about in our shared indoor space.”Dave Parker, The Tower Theatre”Well, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. It’s been a year, obviously. We opened for a few weeks last fall. Effectively, we’ve been closed for a year. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been selling food every weekend since summer. I’ve been able to keep up on the maintenance. The place is pretty much ready to go right now.”Mike Testa, Visit Sacramento”It’s been a tough year for everybody. I think we have that chance to do a little more to bring people back into restaurants. It’s a big deal and it’s a cause for celebration because it means we’re moving in the right direction.”
Sacramento County is expected to loosen COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday.
The county’s anticipated move to the red tier would allow some businesses to reopen indoors with limited capacity. Sacramento had been in the purple tier previously — the state’s most stringent tier for reopening — for months when case rates and deaths were at record levels across the state.
Moving to the red tier means indoor dining and movie theaters can reopen at 25% capacity or up to 100 people, whichever is fewer. Gyms can open indoors at 10% capacity. Museums, zoos and aquariums can open indoor activities at 25% capacity.
KCRA 3 News spoke with business owners and city leaders about the possible shift.
David Gull, New Helvetia Brewing Company
“I’m hopeful. I’m definitely hopeful that the 25% indoor allowance now will give us a little bit of a boost. I think this industry — not just breweries, but restaurants, pubs, bars, hospitality in general, has really taken such a huge hit over the course of the year. Obviously, we want to get it to 100% as soon as possible. It also brings with it risks. We’re going to continue with mask-wearing mandates and encourage customers to be courteous as they’re moving about in our shared indoor space.”
Dave Parker, The Tower Theatre
“Well, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. It’s been a year, obviously. We opened for a few weeks last fall. Effectively, we’ve been closed for a year. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been selling food every weekend since summer. I’ve been able to keep up on the maintenance. The place is pretty much ready to go right now.”
Mike Testa, Visit Sacramento
“It’s been a tough year for everybody. I think we have that chance to do a little more to bring people back into restaurants. It’s a big deal and it’s a cause for celebration because it means we’re moving in the right direction.”