Finally, thousands of California businesses have an end in sight for COVID-19 restrictions that have shut them down or limited their capacity to serve customers for the past 13 months. On June 15, California will end the Blueprint for a Safer Economy metrics.
Ending the Blueprint for a Safer Economy metrics
The metrics have measured coronavirus cases for each county and then limited business capacity levels on the infection rate. Ending the Blueprint for a Safer Economy metrics will mean bars, restaurants, gyms and other venues can open at full capacity. These businesses won’t have to shut down suddenly if COVID-19 cases tick up in their county, allowing them to consistently serve all their customers and have their employees working more hours.
Some businesses still struggling to reopen
However, in some areas, business owners still are cautious about reopening by June 15. In Los Angeles, businesses in immigrant neighborhoods have been hit very hard during the pandemic. Many business owners don’t see customers returning even though some capacity restrictions have lifted. Instead, many residents in these areas are still struggling with:
- job loss
- illness
- deaths of loved ones
Some people in these areas are scared to venture out. They fear they will contract the virus as infection rates have been higher for Latinos and Blacks. Some have opted to do all their shopping at big-box stores, either picking up preordered items or just doing one shopping run a week.
Some small business owners hoped to see an uptick in business when government stimulus checks arrived. However, that hasn’t really happened in lower-income areas, where residents often had to pay unpaid bills or pay for basic needs.
Only time will tell how businesses in immigrant neighborhoods or lower-income areas rebound in the next couple months as even more Californians receive vaccinations and more business reopen fully.