Restaurant Customers No Longer Able To Sit Outside After Receiving To-Go Orders
It has been an oasis in a crisis but that is now ending as the city of Manhattan Beach, CA, in LA County, has shut down outdoor seating at its restaurants.
Citing a rise in positive COVID-19 cases, it is eliminating tables on sidewalks and in the streets, which has kept restaurants and restaurant/bars open during a very challenging time.
In a Tweet the city announced the closure of outdoor dining: “As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in MB and across the County, the City is closing outdoor seating spaces on public property, effective Sunday, January 3rd at 10 p.m. Tables and chairs located in the outdoor seating spaces will be removed at that time.”
The city, located just south of LAX in an idyllic setting and one of the three South Bay Beach Cities, also stated that an increase in cases led to the decision.
“At the beginning of the current surge on November 1,” stated a statement also posted on Twitter “Manhattan Beach had 425 confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of today (Jan. 2), that number has almost doubled to 821 cases. On December 31, the daily number of new cases reached 21 and yesterday (Jan. 1), 26, marking a new all-time record high since the beginning of the pandemic.”
The statement did not include a date or time when outdoor dining will resume; therefore it it reasonable to assume the order will be in effect until further notice.
This, is of course, a huge blow to businesses that have been suffering because of the stay-home orders, a ban on indoor dining and other restrictions. Some will still be offering takeout but being able to get a to-go order and still sit outside – which many customers have been doing the past two months – is no longer an option.
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