SAN MATEO, Calif. (KRON) – As the Bay Area region’s ICU bed availability continues to sink lower, residents and some small business owners in San Mateo County are bracing for a potential shut down.
Restaurants can still serve food outside on Burlingame Avenue and hair salons and nail shops along this commercial corridor can still see clients.
That’s because the health officer of San Mateo County decided not to join the other core Bay Area counties when they opted to governor’s regional state at home order early.
Now, as we are getting closer to the trigger that would force the county to shut down when the Bay Area region’s ICU capacity dips below 15%. The bay is currently at just over 16% right now.
Some residents decided to have lunch together outside because they think this is will be the last hurrah before the county shuts down.
The owner of two restaurants on the strip isn’t happy about a potential shutdown but understands the reasons why.
The owner of UK Hair doesn’t understand why retail shops would be able to operate at 20 percent capacity under the regional stay at home order but he’d have to shut down altogether.
“I’ve already been operating at 20% capacity for months, we’ve already been shut down 4 months this year. A shutdown would be so detrimental for me and my team,” the owner said.
While the hair salon owner says he’s getting an uptick of clients trying to get in now that the regional stay at home order is looming.
The restaurant owner says she has noticed a general slowdown in business as the rest of the core Bay Area shutdown this week, which she believes has made some customers uncomfortable with the idea of going out.