Businesses were provided signs by the Oregon
Health Authority (govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-
COVID-19)
Kandace Huston of Pacific Grind serves up a coffee at the drive-through.
Mask and you shall receive
By RACHEL BAIRD & KRISTA
MELONE
For the TODAY
Local businesses were given the
green light to re-open on May 15 when
Governor Kate Brown announced the
state’s Phase One Re-Opening Plan. This
news came with some caveats that had
business owners and managers working
hard to make their spaces safe for the
public and their employees. After nearly
two months of Stay Home, Stay Safe
shutdowns some business owners were
faced with the reality that if they did not
open now, when they could, they might
not open at all; and so they had to put
into place measures that helped them feel
comfortable with this new reality. Some
businesses re-opened with the same hours
and services they provided prior to the
closures, some have opened with limited
hours or limited seating and some have
chosen to remain closed. Each business
has had to decide how to implement the
Phase One Re-Opening Guidelines for
itself. In this new pandemic landscape,
there must be rules, regulations and
guidelines; and so, there were rules,
regulations and guidelines. You can
find the full list of business types that
were allowed to re-open on the State
of Oregon website, along with a list of
counties approved to enter Phase One.
Many business owners have hung up
the signs provided by the Oregon Health
Authority and gone about business with
few changes, other than a six-foot distance
between patrons. There are industries,
such as restaurants and hair salons, that
have specific rules spelled out for them
that require more than just a sign. For
12 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • June 5, 2020
salon owners and workers there are rules
such as pre-appointment health checks,
face masks at all times, and contact
tracing. The guidelines require that salons
“remove all unnecessary items such as
magazines, newspapers, service menus,
and any other unnecessary items such as
paper products, snacks, and beverages”
from waiting rooms and have clients wait
outside until their appointment time.
For restaurants, “tables must be spaced
at least six feet apart so that at least
six feet between parties is maintained,
including when customers approach or
leave tables.” This has been difficult for
many local restaurants which have limited
space. Those restaurants who are unable
to rearrange seating to maintain a six-foot
distance are required to remain open only
for pickup and delivery.
Are these guidelines and rules enough?
Businesses are encouraged to come up
with a comprehensive plan to protect the
health of their patrons and employees
based on their unique space, business
type and size. Local retail stores have a
variety of approaches to safety. We found
signs requiring masks, social media posts
asking customers not to handle products
unless they were purchasing them, and
temporary business-hour-adjustment
announcements. Retail businesses up and
down the coast are requiring that patrons
wear face coverings and use hand sanitizer
before touching products. Plexiglass
“sneeze guards” in front of point of sale
counters has become commonplace as
businesses strive to find ways to protect
their employees. Surely, we have all
become familiar with the tape lines or
circles on the ground to help us stay
socially distanced at six feet.