Curfews are gone and businesses, including restaurants, are starting to open back up. After almost two months of Californians being on full lockdown, on Jan. 25, Governor Newsom announced that the stay at home order was going to be lifted. 

Although California is still in the “purple tier” when it comes to the case rate of COVID-19 cases, thanks to the significant decrease in cases over a short period of time, coming from an average of 40,000 cases per day to an average of 10,000 cases per day, the order was lifted.  Many restaurants, churches, and gyms are still only offering outdoor options until the number of cases declines, and it is safer. But, small businesses such as cafes are now allowed to offer outdoor seating, and salons are now allowed to open once again.

The order being lifted has allowed many students to continue on with their lives while still following COVID-19 protocols. Whether it be inside or outside of school, activities are opening back up, sports are able to continue, and more businesses are able to serve their customers. 

The Hop Stop, a small restart in Poway, was unable to serve their customers inside their restaurant. Many staff members could not attend their jobs and were out of work during the shutdown. “ The order being lifted has let me go back to work and practice. That little bit of normalcy goes a long way,” junior Chase Castleberry said. 

People are also now allowed to dine in restaurants again. Although there is still no indoor seating, most restaurants are offering outdoor seating and are taking safety precautions by keeping tables at a distance. “It’s nice to be able to go out in public and have dinner with my family again,” junior Nick Ward said.

With restrictions less confining on Californians, small businesses can open and operate once again. Due to the shut-down, many businesses were forced to close or reduce their hours. Many people were out of work or had their hours decreased significantly. 

One small business, in particular, that was affected by the shut down was  Manzanita Roasting Company and Coffee House at the Bernardo Winery. With the stay-at-home order, the winery was shut down which forced the cafe to significantly decrease its hours. They were only open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 pm. Many staff members were not able to work during this time. “The stay at home order being lifted has finally allowed me to work more hours now that we are open more days a week,” junior Nateal Jackson said. 

Now that cases are lowering and vaccines are out, life is slowly starting to seem normal once again in California. Although there are still many restrictions regarding indoor public areas, California is one step closer to having minimal COVID-19 cases and returning to simpler times.