Sonoma County further eases coronavirus restrictions

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - Normal activities that haven’t been allowed for months started again Saturday in Sonoma County.

As of 12:01AM, the new health order went into effect and allows in person faith based services, indoor shopping and dining, hair salons, barbershops, outdoor recreation and equipment rentals and private and public pools for fitness and lap swimming to reopen with modifications.

Restaurants in the county went from only offering take out, to opening outdoor dining, to finally being allowed to serve customers inside, “It’s lifesaving for us,” said Armand Ausiello, Owner of Ausiello’s Bar and Grill in Santa Rosa.

He said the last couple of months weren’t easy, but the gradual reopening has helped a lot, “I think a lot of people were on the brink it was getting really tough.”

While this is an exciting day, Sonoma County health officials say coronavirus is not contained and there’s still a risk of transmission. Indoor activities are the riskiest so it’s still suggested you keep your distance and wear a mask.

As of 9:17 p.m. June 5th, the county reported 624 confirmed cases and four deaths.

While the county is moving into this next step cautiously, restaurant owners are too by making required changes to their businesses.

Kimberly Gott, owner of Crooks Coffee in Santa Rosa said they started shifting things around back in March so they’ve been ready for this day, “We started putting our furniture away, marking down where people can stand, getting rid of our in-dining dishes and stuff,” she said.

Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said the county is still not consistently meeting its goal of 750 tests a day. She recommends people get tested.