Ready to Reopen: El Dorado County Asks Governor to Fully Move Into Phase 2

EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) - As the stay at home order continues, more small counties are making the push to reopen more businesses to their communities.  El Dorado County recently sent their plans and reopening guidelines to Governor Newsom calling for a full move into Stage 2 for their county.

That could allow businesses like restaurants to start serving people inside again, as long as they follow certain safety guidelines. It's getting mixed reactions from community members, as one restaurant plans to move forward with their opening anyway.

At Aji Japanese Bistro, they plan to serve your entrees with a side of safety. Russell Okubo walked CBS13 through his newly implemented distancing and sanitation protocols, with spaced out tables, booth barriers and sanitation stations in several parts of the restaurant.

The restaurant plans to reopen Mothers Day evening, already booked with reservations.

"If you're healthy and want to go have a nice meal, I'm going to do my part to protect you and accomplish it," Okubo said.

Though, they're reopening without permission from the state. But Okubo explained it's not about defying the stay at home order, he hopes his restaurant can be a model for others in the county to learn from. Okubo told CBS13 he worked with El Dorado County to come up with ways to keep diners safe.

"The whole point is to be the anchor restaurant," Okubo said.

When it comes to the thought of starting to reopen, El Dorado Hills residents like Arif Abouseieo are still wary.

"I just can't wait for it to be over," Abouseieo said. "But we can't just say you know what — we're tired we just want to go out."

On the contrary, some people, like Jim Barnes are ready for some kind of normal again - especially in a smaller county.

"We're starting to get angry about it," Barnes said. "We are not Los Angeles and we are not New York where you've got such a high-density population."

County health officials have the number of COVID cases are much lower than other areas & say it's manageable. It's the reason they've drafted up a letter to Governor Newsom, explaining they're more than prepared to move forward in their reopening process. At the time this story was published, El Dorado County only had 54 positive COVID-19 cases, and no deaths.

Though Abouseieo says he's worried about others in the surrounding counties and areas.

"We don't have a lot of cases doesn't mean we're open," he said. "You're not shutting down borders. People can come in and come out."

The county put out a memo on Saturday saying restaurants still need to wait for state guidance on how to reopen safely before they can be allowed to do so. Places that reopen could face consequences from the state. Okubo at Aji said he feels comfortable about reopening on Sunday after working with the county to implement safety measures.