Santa Barbara businesses brace for looming lockdown
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Late last night, Southern California’s stay-at-home order was officially triggered with a drop below its’ 15% ICU capacity at regional hospitals.
This regional stay-at-home order for Santa Barbara County will take effect on Sunday at midnight and is expected to remain in place for at least three weeks.
Restaurants will be limited to take-out and delivery only while bars, breweries and distilleries must close.
This evening, plenty of people dined outdoors for a final time before the lockdown began.
“We wanted to meet one last time,” Santa Barbara resident Mark Goerner said. “Before we all go into our little caves.”
At Cajé Coffee Roaster on East Haley Street, the staff is adjusting to these new rules on the fly.
Coming up with innovative ideas while considering selling to-go coffee cocktails.
“We’re playing it day-by-day, so we really don’t know what’s changing until tomorrow shows up,” Cajé Manager Jacob Mabee said. “We’ll see how customers react to it.”
On State Street, Satellite owner Drew Cuddy can’t believe that Santa Barbara County is being grouped in a region that makes up 58% of California’s population.
After months of investing outdoors, he’ll soon be stuck take-out options only.
“There are hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment that all of us have made up and down the street,” Cuddy said.
Throughout town, another round of layoffs are looming and some people aren’t pleased Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new order.
“Here we are three weeks before Christmas and you’re laying people off,” Santa Barbara resident Rowland Hanson said. “I just think it’s outright irresponsible.”
However, others are prepared to hunker down if it helps stop the spread of coronavirus cases.
“As much as I don’t like the loss of the freedom, if we’re misbehaving and things are going off the rails, it’s the way it has to go,” Goerner said.
“We’re ready to take it on, adapt and come into 2021 with a better vision looking forward,” Cuddy concluded.
