Downtown Westfield On July 4: Ice Cream Tour, Quimby Street, More

WESTFIELD, NJ — Want to know what Downtown Westfield is planning for Quimby Street over July 4 weekend and beyond?

For July 4 weekend specifically, Downtown will host an ice cream tour. The Westfield Historical Society and Westfield-300 will host a scavenger hunt, and local arcade Yestercade is reopening, since Gov. Phil Murphy has allowed arcades to reopen at 25 percent capacity (customers must wear masks).

Here is a link you can use at any time to check the latest schedule for Quimby Street and downtown activities: Click here.

What's it all about?

For now, open Quimby Street continues from Friday evening through Sunday evenings for pedestrian-only, socially distanced strolling and dining.

Outdoor sidewalk dining is now available throughout downtown. Due to relaxed rules by Gov. Phil Murphy, you can purchase cocktails to-go to enjoy with your alfresco meal. Curbside pickup and delivery will still be available from all restaurants who are currently offering it.

Retail stores are open with 50 percent capacity, masks and social distancing. Salons, spas and barbers have reopened with safety precautions in place.

Check out outdoor yoga, fitness classes, live music, and other Open Quimby activities weekly. Please sign up and pay ahead of each class with the link provided. Bring a towel, a yoga mat, sneakers and water to exercise classes.

Remember to wear a mask when not eating, drinking and exercising and maintain a safe 6-foot distance or more.

Outdoor dining and Quimby rules

Now that the state of New Jersey has allowed outdoor dining, the town of Westfield has implemented a plan to help downtown businesses expand onto sidewalks and certain closed streets. Westfield plans to close off Quimby Street in the next few weekends from 3 p.m. on Friday to 8 a.m. on Monday between June 20 and July 5 on a trial basis. The restaurants on that block will be able to move tables out onto the street for additional outdoor dining.

Check the link for more.

Parking

• In order to facilitate easy ongoing access to curbside pick up, all the parking spots on Quimby Street and on Elm Street (between E. Broad Street and North Avenue) will be free 15-minute parking spots for curbside pickup and for delivery vehicles. Customers looking for longer term parking are encouraged to park on adjacent streets.
• Employees of local businesses, especially from those on Elm and Quimby streets, should park in employee-permitted spots at the train station parking lot or the lot behind Baron's.

Retail

• Non-essential retail operations were allowed to open on June 15 as long as they comply with the rules in Executive Order 122 for essential retail stores, which include limiting occupancy to 50 percent of maximum capacity. Under NJ Executive Order 150, retail establishments and service providers will be able to place a table outside their store for outdoor transactions seven days of the week.

Below are some requirements for businesses to incorporate who that opened for outdoor dining on June 15, as stated in Governor Murphy’s outdoor dining executive order:

• Post signage at the entrance that states that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 should enter the food or beverage establishment
• Limit seating to a maximum of eight customers per table and arrange seating to achieve a minimum distance of 6 feet between parties
• Rope off or otherwise mark tables, chairs and bar stools that are not to be used
• Demarcate 6 feet of spacing in patron waiting areas
• Provide physical guides, such as tape on floors, sidewalks, and signage on walls to ensure that customers remain at least 6 feet apart in line for the restroom or waiting for seating
• Eliminate self-service food or drink options such as buffets, salad bars, and self-service drink stations
• Disinfect all tables, chairs and any other shared items (menus, condiments, pens) after each use
• Install physical barriers and partitions at cash registers, bars, host stands and other area where maintaining physical distance of 6 feet is difficult
• Ensure 6 feet of physical distancing between workers and customers, except at the moment of payment and/or when employees are servicing the table
• Require infection control practices, such as regular handwashing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal
• Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like credit card machines, keypads, and counters to which the public and workers have access
• Place conspicuous signage at entrance alerting staff and customers to the required 6 ft of physical distance
• Require all food or beverage establishments to have an inclement weather policy that, if triggered, would require the food or beverage establishment 2 to adhere to Executive Order No. 125 (2020) and offer takeout or delivery service only

Additionally, according to the state:

• Businesses should conduct daily health screenings for employees (such as temperature screenings and/or symptom checking), and provide and require employees to wear face masks.
• All customers must bring and wear face masks when going to a business to wear if going inside the business or using the restroom.
• The state also recommends that businesses and customers utilize reservations as much as possible to limit overcrowding at restaurants.

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