The slow reopening of Chula Vista begins Friday. with parks reopening and allowing more businesses to offer pickup services starting May 8.
On Tuesday, the city unveiled a framework of how to ensure businesses maintain social-distancing guidelines and established a set of rules regarding what specific activities will be allowed in public parks.
City officials stress that this limited reopening is not a sign that Chula Vista’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The city is still seeing higher rates of infection compared to other parts of the county.
“We are in an area that is hit harder than much of the rest of the county,” said City Manager Gary Halbert. “We do want to open these businesses up, but we also want to make sure we do so in a healthy manner.”
News of Chula Vista’s reopening came after state and county officials announced that some businesses that were previously forced to close because of the pandemic could open as early as Friday. Those businesses include bookstores, music stores, florists, retailers, clothing stores and sporting goods stores.
To ensure businesses are in compliance with sanitation and social-distancing requirements, Chula Vista created a new no-cost permit. Every business that reopens must submit their safety protocols to the city.
The new permit will give the city a snapshot of which businesses reopened and which didn’t. With that information, the city can do spot checks to ensure businesses are complying with protocols.
Reference:
Adapted from a story released by the Union Tribune
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/south-county/chula-vista/story/2020-05-07/chula-vista-to-reopen-parks-and-some-businesses-friday