A look at the first weekend in the red tier in downtown Palm Springs
Wednesday became the official day that restaurants and businesses shifted to less strict regulations after Riverside County transitioned into the less restrictive red tier. Aside from a stay-at-home order that was enacted in December, the county lingered in the most restrictive purple tier for months before seeing a change.
This past week all 3 metrics to determine whether a county could move in between state tiers fell within the qualifying criteria to move forward.
One group of people traveled down from Modesto while "touristing, looking for the sunshine, escaping for the first time in a year." They were happy to escape the cold, and restrictive Stanislaus County, which is still in the purple tier.
"Oh my gosh we had a party, it was awesome! It was so fun to be out with everybody," Palm Springs resident, Cindy Rose said.
Rose and a group of friends took a tour while riding what is known as the Social Cycle, a trolley-like vehicle that seats multiple people. Rose was among hundreds of people getting out for a Sunday afternoon of fun.
"This actually almost made me cry, when I got off there today and I looked around and I saw all these people, it’s amazing," Rose said.
Restaurants were also abuzz, especially now with a little more flexibility to allow 25 percent capacity inside. At Kaiser Grille, patrons still opted for the outdoors to take in plenty of sunshine and enjoy the near-perfect weather.
A few blocks down Palm Canyon Drive, General Manager of Fuzion Five, Pete Yong said they too have enjoyed an influx of diners.
"We’re so busy. A lot of people are in town and that’s good for the valley," said Yong.
The restaurant is small, so Yong said they would be sticking with outdoor dining only.
Across the street, one of co-owners of The Village told News Channel 3 they are doing much better than expected.
"Its been really exciting, the really crazy news is we beat 2018 numbers this weekend, we beat 2019. People are loving it and excited and the best part of it- our rebranding, our food is going through the roof," said Mariner.
Once the Village Pub, now just The Village, Mariner said they've got a variety of new menu items and people are loving it.
"People are coming out, they’re supporting us, they’re showing us love, they’re saying thank you for being here and surviving. My heart is just so overwhelmed with joy, so are my partners," said Mariner.
The county's shift to the red tier means allowing more guests, while Mariner said staying within the guidelines.
"We’re socially distant, we’re wearing our masks, we’re taking this public safety very seriously, making sure everything is 6 feet away," Mariner said.
