Restaurants, closed since mid-March, are beginning to reopen, with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifting restrictions on dining imposed starting Monday, May 11. Local restaurateurs expressed optimism, after months of serving takeout or being closed completely, but also expressed continued caution about returning to public gatherings during the pandemic.
“I don’t think excited would be the right emotion, more likely anxious,” Brenda Clouston, owner of Colt Grill in Old Town Cottonwood and president of the Old Town Association, wrote in an email. “There has been so much loss, and yet the only way to survive will be to open our doors.
“Old Town is small business, and most of our business owners are not supported by a larger corporation, so the only way to survive will be through
customers and community support. Our staff members and our typical customers are our family, and we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize either.”
Restaurants are opening with severely limited capacity, removing booths and tables, requiring six feet between patrons sitting at the bar—if the bar is open at all — and putting many patrons in outdoor seating. Restaurants by law have to adhere to high standards of health and safety, including heavy levels of sanitation, even during normal operations without the pandemic. Owners and managers say they are increasing those efforts, with many establishments requiring masks for staff or customers.
“When we’re in our restaurants ourselves, we’re doing gloves and face masks and such, taking temps from our employees as they come in. We’re starting off pretty good,” said Eric Jurisin, owner of the Haunted Group, which includes seven restaurants throughout Cottonwood and Jerome.
Jurisin’s restaurants have been closed completely since the beginning of the shutdown, though they returned to takeout this weekend before reopening properly on Monday. “When we bring the public into the buildings, we’re a little more nervous. We’re hesitant. We’re doing the best we can, but I’m not a doctor. I sell hamburgers for a living.”
After several weeks of stable COVID- 19 case numbers in the Verde Valley and Yavapai County, the number of positive tests in the area has climbed notably.
As of Monday, May 11, Yavapai County has a total of 196 cases, almost doubling the 91 case total from one week earlier.
The vast majority of that increase has been in the Prescott area, including more than 52 cases found at Mingus Mountain Academy, a boarding school for girls, where the virus spread throughout 40 students and 12 staffers without leading to symptoms. But with 39 cases in the Verde Valley, there has also been a notable increase on this side of the mountains as well, with nine new cases in the past week, a 31% increase.
Officials at both Yavapai County Community Health Services and Verde Valley Medical Center believe that the higher numbers this week reflect an increase in testing more than an acceleration in the virus’ spread throughout the community.
VVMC administrators point to a low number of hospitalizations as a sign that the virus is not spreading significantly faster now than it was before. Negative test rates remain at 96% for Yavapai County, suggesting that it is not spreading faster than before. However, Stephen Everett, section manager for communicable diseases at Yavapai County Community Health Services, said that the increased case numbers do nevertheless suggest that the virus continues to spread in the community and is infecting more people.
On Thursday, May 7, Yavapai County held a meeting on Zoom for businesses providing guidance for the reopening.
“I want to remind everyone that just because we’re reopening the communities doesn’t mean we’re in the clear,” YCCHS Director Leslie Horton said on the call. “COVID-19 is going to be here, and the steps we outline here are truly for the protection of those most vulnerable and those who would have the highest risk of complications or hospitalizations. It’s important to keep that in mind.
“As we move forward, it’s not just going to go away until there’s a cure or a vaccine or something else to change the course that we’re on. It’s important that we keep that in mind, but we do need to get everyone back to business. I think that at this point in time in a county like ours, the economic impacts have been more devastating in a lot of ways than the health impacts of the pandemic, and so I do hope that we can get everyone up and running.”
Beyond the health precautions, businesses worry that the reopening will not mean a return to commerce as usual. The Verde Valley’s usual spring tourist season is already over, and the summer is usually much slower for the hospitality industry.
The limitations on capacity will only exacerbate this, as restaurants will not be able to bring in the revenue they usually do, even on a busy day.
“I don’t see how we can make a profit, to be honest with you,” Jurisin said. “Every one of our buildings is within a historic building. Our buildings are quite small. So logistically, we’re in rough shape.”
With travel falling nationwide, there is some hope that the loss in visitors from other parts of the country during the cooler spring could be partially offset by visitors from Phoenix and other parts of the state as the summer heat rises in those areas. But that also comes with its own dangers, as visitors from Phoenix and Tucson that have seen more spread of the virus could jeopardize the Verde Valley’s mostly successful containment efforts.
“One of my biggest concerns is that I’m going to get sick from someone who comes up from Phoenix,” Julie Fernatt, owner of TeaEazy, said.
But even with concern, Fernatt is opening back up, hoping to be able to make revenues that were lost during the time her store was closed.
“Just being open today, interaction with customers feels much more normal than it did yesterday,” Jurist said. “When you see the people sitting across from you it feels good…. and always seeing them there on Wednesdays. My guess is you’re going to see a lot more waves and nods to those familiar faces.”
