San Ramon Businesses That Can Reopen; Latest Case Count

SAN RAMON, CA — Shuttered businesses in San Ramon and across Tri-Valley began scrambling Monday after the state lifted its stay-at-home order, thus easing restrictions on some local businesses.

The governor's abrupt announcement came as data indicated that the winter surge in coronavirus cases had begun to subside. Affected Tri-Valley businesses started to reopen within hours of the news.

Contra Costa County — along with the rest of the Bay Area — was placed back into the purple tier of the state's four-tiered, color-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system. The purple tier is the most restrictive and indicates widespread COVID-19 risk. Residents are urged to continue taking precautions and keep their guard up as the pandemic bears on.

Even so, the return to the purple tier is good news for businesses forced to close when the stay-at-home order first went into effect Dec. 6.

The state will now allow the following activities to resume in Contra Costa, with adherence to safety guidelines:

• Outdoor dining
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services (e.g. nail salons)
• Outdoor gatherings with up to 35 people from up to three households
• Bars, wineries and breweries
• Retail shopping at up to 25 percent capacity (up from 20 percent)

Steve Van Dorn, CEO and president of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, had already received a fresh haircut as of Monday afternoon and heard local favorite SideTrack Bar + Grill reopened in time for lunch service, its outdoor patio ready to shield customers from the rain.

"I'm really happy that this has happened," he said.

Though Van Dorn remains hopeful for what could be to come in 2021, he suspects more business closings will be on the horizon.

Dawn Argula, CEO and president of the Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce, knows of a handful of Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce members that have closed for good, but believes many that temporarily closed at the onset of the stay-at-home order could reopen as soon as this week. Restaurants seeking to reopen outdoor dining may be able to take advantage of the upcoming inclement weather to contact workers and suppliers so they can reopen when sunnier skies prevail, she said.

"We've been through this cycle before," she said.

The return to the purple tier is a relief to local businesses and indicates a positive way forward, Argula said.

"We were getting close to two months [in the stay-at-home-order] ... and that's just a huge hit to the economy and businesses," she said. "We'll see who survived these two months."

The public should remain vigilant despite this development, Contra Costa Health Services said Monday in a news release. There were an average of 46 daily new infections in the county last week, which is about seven times higher than the purple tier threshold, officials said.

Most of the county's intensive care unit beds remain occupied. Just 26 of the 163 in Contra Costa were available as of Saturday and most elective surgeries remain postponed as all local hospitals are on contingency care status.

“Under no circumstances should anyone view the state action today as a reason to let down their guard. We have made progress, but we need to continue what we are doing to keep our families and communities safe,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County health officer, in a news release. “It is just common sense.”

More than 55,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Contra Costa since the beginning of the pandemic, including some 1,700 in San Ramon and 49,000 recovered cases. Nearly 500 deaths have been linked to the coronavirus, including 12 in San Ramon.

Residents who are at least 75 years old can get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment here or by calling 833-829-2626. County health officials anticipate extending vaccine eligibility to more people in the weeks to come and have kicked off a vaccination drive to distribute a million COVID-19 vaccine doses by July 4.

See a full list of which activities are allowed in purple tier counties here.