Local businesses get much-needed chance to open doors

ROCKINGHAM — Many local businesses will open their doors for the first time in almost two months when Phase Two of Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to reopen the state begins at 5 p.m. on Friday.

At that time, North Carolina’s current stay-at-home order will be lifted and restrictions on several types of businesses will be loosened. Restaurants will be able to open for dine-in service at 50% of their stated fire capacity, if they follow sanitation and social distancing requirements. Barbershops, salons and pools will also be allowed to open at 50% capacity. Bars, nightclubs, museums, playgrounds, gyms and indoor entertainment venues like movie theaters are to remain closed in Phase Two. Mass gatherings will be limited to 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors.

The opportunity to reopen will allow local businesses to bring in much-needed revenue, but don’t expect all of them to open their doors on Friday night.

“With the holiday weekend, there’s several that are going to wait until Tuesday,” said Emily Tucker, president and CEO of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce. “Some of the restaurants are going to open for dine-in, but I know we have some that are going to wait until Tuesday so they can make sure they have everything in place.”

Richmond County’s small businesses — especially barbershops and salons, which have been closed ever since Cooper first issued the stay-at-home order in late March — have been financially strained because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them have applied for small business loans offered by the federal government. Some applications were successful, and other businesses are still on the waiting list.

The Chamber of Commerce has been helping businesses work through that process, partnering with Richmond Community College’s Small Business Center to provide virtual tutorials, direct assistance and other resources.

It hasn’t been an easy process for anyone, which is why opportunities for businesses to open their doors — even at a limited capacity — are so valuable.

“It’s just been one of those things that no one ever fathomed they’d be seeing in their lifetimes,” Tucker said.

The decision to launch Phase 2 of the reopening plan was made partly because Cooper and his administration felt that North Carolinians had made enough “changes and sacrifices in their daily lives” to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Health officials will still be closely monitoring coronavirus trends as businesses start to reopen.

“The last thing any of us want is to bring (COVID-19) into our workplace, because that may cause us to close back down again,” Richmond County Health Director Tommy Jarrell said in a recent teleconference.

Businesses have already implemented strict sanitation procedures to prevent that from happening, and those protocols will be visible in the next couple of weeks.

Employees of barbershops, salons and other personal care facilities for instance, will be required to wear face coverings in accordance with guidances published by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Restaurants are encouraged to have their employees wear face coverings. Customers of personal care facilities are encouraged to also wear masks.

Restaurants are encouraged to have their employees wear protective masks, and to have patrons wait outside for seating. Guidelines state that staff members should stay at least 6 feet away from patrons whenever possible.

All businesses are required to arrange seating so that customers are at least 6 feet away from each other, and they also need to facilitate social distancing in high-traffic areas such as cash registers and waiting areas.

Tucker said patrons should remember to be patient while businesses adjust to the new coronavirus-related restrictions.

“They’re having to learn a new way of doing business,” Tucker said. “Everything’s a new way of life for folks going in. Whether they require you to have a mask on or you choose to wear a mask, whether it’s going to a restaurant or going to a retail establishment, there’s new rules for everyone.

“We just need to be mindful of that moving forward. This is something that’s going to be here for a while. It’s not just temporary.”