As More Businesses Reopen Amid Pandemic, Fewer People Distance

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - With more businesses like bars reopening over the weekend, downtown and midtown Sacramento are bustling once again. But how well are people following the rules?

On a Saturday night in Sacramento, you could find music and mingling at Mulvaney's in midtown, where owner Patrick Mulvaney said safety comes first.

"It's important for us that everyone is safe," Mulvaney said. "Our staff as well as the guests."

The restaurant expanded its patio just this week, moving some tables out onto the sidewalk. Staff wear face shields and mask for protection. In some cases, customers are asked to do the same.

"They want to table hop because a lot of people are friends, Mulvaney said. "We ask they put their masks on like our staff does."

In some other places, that doesn't seem to be the case. CBS13 cameras caught some servers with masks around their neck, not on their face. Others put them on as soon as they realized the camera was rolling.

It's that reason alone people like Lanaya Wilson still haven't chanced going out.

"I've heard that only about 30% of people are really adhering to social distancing," Wilson said.

A quick glance around downtown and midtown showed several people not wearing masks at all or practicing social distancing. In many cases - some would argue it doesn't look like we're in the middle of a pandemic.

But a longing for a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy is what drew Daniel Bustmant out from the Bay Area, "Just to relax without having a mask on, that's all we cared about."

Bustmant said he can take precautions himself by keeping up on hand hygiene.

Still, several people have noticed businesses erring on the side of caution.

"I've seen a lot of masks on the server side, but not a lot on the pedestrian side," Cleveland Bain said as he got ready to enjoy drinks out on R Street.

For Wilson, still opting out, she hopes these actions don't contribute any further to Sacramento's current spike.

"I hope we don't have a huge second wave," Wilson said. "It doesn't look good."

State guidelines do require staff like hosts and servers to wear masks at all times. Those same guidelines do strongly encourage customers to wear them too when not eating or drinking.

Health officials have previously said the county can backtrack what's open if our numbers continue to climb.

Edit: CBS13 was informed a server shown in the video of the story with a mask around their neck says they were on their lunch break, and not helping customers.