SALT LAKE CITY – With the announcement that Salt Lake and Davis counties are shifting from high to moderate transmission level guidelines, companies in both counties are celebrating the return to full capacity.
READ: With the more flexible restrictions of COVID-19, will Jazz accept the full house?
“Honestly, I feel a lot of hope for the first time in a year,” said Katie Rae Curtis, manager of the Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar in Farmington. “We have seen little progress, but I am excited. I get goosebumps when talking about it.”
Under the new guidelines restaurants in Salt Lake and Davis counties can now operate at full capacity, with distances of 1.8 m and masks still needed in waiting areas and when customers get up from their tables.
“The moderate level is a big step in the right direction to put the restaurant industry on the road to recovery,” said Melva Sine, president and CEO of the Utah Restaurant Association.
For Curtis, total capacity means increased revenue, but also the ability to increase personnel.
“We now have to limit our team to a certain number of shifts a week,” she said. “And at full capacity, we will be able to take more shifts. What in return is to put more money in the community’s pocket so that they can go out and support local restaurants or any local business.”
WATCH: Utah expects to receive more COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks
The new guidelines also remove restrictions on event meetings, which means that spaces like the Hale Center Theater in Sandy can also be moved to full capacity.
“It’s a big deal, obviously, financially, that helps us where it’s been a tough industry to work with for a while,” said Quinn Dietlein, Executive Director of the Hale Center Theater. “The other side is just the joy factor for the actors and customers. This is a two-way street.”
After operating at 25% capacity for months, Dietlein was able to share the good news with part of the cast and theater crew during a rehearsal on Wednesday night.
“There were twenty minutes of hushed joy in the whole group. It is a very emotional moment for us,” he said.
LINKS: See how to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in Utah
Despite the increase in capacity, both companies said that health safety is still a major concern.
“Our standards within our restaurant will not change,” added Curtis. “As far as what our team is expected to do for cleaning, health standards will not change.”
“There are a lot of procedures that we have implemented, all of these things are still in place,” said Dietlein. “The biggest difference is that we can now stand shoulder to shoulder, as long as everyone wears masks.”
Dietlein and Curtis said the move to moderate-level guidelines looks like a light at the end of a year-long tunnel.