MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Businesses in Marin County were ready to open doors as soon as California lifted its stay-at-home order on Monday.

Restaurants are bringing their dining chairs back outside and wiping off tables to welcome customers who are allowed to take a seat to eat once again.

Marin Health and Human Services said it would be resuming operations under the state’s Purple tier, which is the most restrictive. But even with those COVID-19 safety rules in place, it’s a relief from the lockdown which the Bay Area had been under since Dec. 17, 2020.

As mentioned, restaurants had to close dining completely during the stay-at-home order, fulfilling only takeout and curbside pickup orders.

Salons and other personal care services weren’t doing business at all.

The Xclusive Club Barbershop, named Marin’s best, had just opened in 2019. Now, it’s been almost a year that the owners have had to deal with fluctuating reopening rules.

For owner Jay Maya, closing was frustrating because sanitation training was an everyday part of his barbershop schooling. “It didn’t make sense,” to close salons, Maya told KRON4.

Watch full interview with Maya below:

“Everyone has been making sacrifices to bring this surge under control, and it’s paying off,” said Dr Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer. “As we move back into the purple tier, it’s critical to remember the virus is still very active in our community. We could easily backslide if we let our guard down.”

Xclusive and other businesses will have to keep social distancing and mask enforcement top of mind to stay open this time — maybe even move into less risky tiers of reopening which allow for increased capacity, meaning more customers at a time.

Here’s how reopening works under the current Purple tier:

  • Retail stores: Open indoors at 25% capacity
  • Shopping malls: Open indoors at 25% capacity, closed food courts/common areas
  • Personal care/grooming: Open indoors
  • Museums, zoos & aquariums: Open outdoors only
  • Places of worship: Open outdoors only
  • Movie theatres: Open outdoors only
  • Hotels/lodging: Open
  • Gyms/fitness centers: Open outdoors only
  • Restaurants: Outdoor dining/takeout only
  • Wineries: Outdoor only
  • Bars/breweries/distilleries: Closed
  • Family entertainment centers (mini golfing, batting cages, etc): Outdoor only
  • Cardrooms: Outdoor only
  • Offices: Remote
  • Pro sports: Open without live audiences
  • Amusement parks: Closed