Sacramento Business Owners Say They Won't Be Able To Survive The Governor's Reopening Timeline
SACRAMENTO (CBS13)— Sacramento business owners say they may not be able to survive governor Newsom's four-stage reopening plan.
The governor's plan came as a shock to some who were hoping for better news.
The state is currently in Stage 1 of the reopening process, where officials are ordering people to stay home and flatten the curve so that testing, PPE and hospital capacity can be built. In this phase, only essential workplaces are open.
Stage 2 will be where lower risk workplaces gradually reopen – with adaptations that lessen exposure risks. The workplaces and businesses that can reopen in this phase include retail, manufacturing and offices where telecommuting isn't possible. This phase is the one where Newsom said California is just weeks, not months away from reaching.
Flipping his wording around, Newsom and public health officials cautioned that Stages 3 and 4 are months – not weeks – away.
In Stage 3, higher risk environments will be allowed to gradually reopen with limits. These businesses include hair salons, gyms, movie theaters, sports (without live audiences) and in-person religious services.
Stage 4 will be the end of the stay-at-home order where mass gatherings like concerts, live sports and conventions will be allowed to continue.
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The businesses people will see open first are in Stage 2 tend to be larger, like offices and manufacturing sites. Governor Newsom said it may be several weeks before these open. Businesses in Stage 3, like hair salons, may not open for months.
It's a breaking point Rob Brown never wanted to face. Before the governor's speech Tuesday, he was hoping to reopen his salon and cosmetology school after May 2 with new safety regulations.
"We want to be part of the solution but to sit at home and suffer, that's what we're doing. It's death to our business," Brown said.
Neither he or his employees have received any government aid. Right now they can't pay rent for their space.
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"What are we supposed to do about feeding our families? We're going to lose our business. That exactly what's going to happen," Brown said.
He's not alone. Those allowed to open under Stage 3 also include movie theaters, sporting events in empty stadiums and event suppliers like Brad Isbell.
"We're very aware in the event industry that we're probably at the very end of the line," Isbell said.
Isbell said his company, Celebrations Party Rentals, will only make 30% of what they forecasted this year. His business depends on being able to book in advance, something the governor's timeline makes impossible.
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"At the end of the day, there's no work. We can only reorganize bolts and clean chairs so much," Isbell said.
The governor made clear Tuesday that reopening will be based on guidance from health experts and communities who want to speed up the timeline need to put the brakes on.
"We're not just going to blithely do that without, for example, community surveillance obligations that are attached to those regional efforts," Governor Newsom said.
But business owners may not be able to survive however long that takes. They want their chance now, livelihoods depend on it.
"Wear masks, wear gloves and come up with other things to do in our industry but to do nothing, it's ludicrous," Brown said.
