PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — More counties moved further into their reopenings Tuesday.
Sutter, Colusa, and Stanislaus counties all moved from the purple tier to the red tier. Sacramento County marked two weeks in the red tier and Placer County moved from red to orange.
With Placer County moving into the state’s orange tier, restrictions are easing even further for several types of businesses.
“I was looking forward to that noon announcement and right about 12:24 p.m. I just yelled out and just said ‘thank goodness’,” John Ziegler, taproom manager at Knee Deep Brewing Company in Auburn, said of his reaction to the state’s Tuesday announcement of Placer County’s new tier status.
With state restrictions on businesses, things have not been easy.
“We’ve been getting by,” Ziegler said. “That’s a perfect way to explain it.”
Until now, Placer County Breweries haven’t been able to serve alcohol at its taproom outdoors without a meal, so they teamed up with a food truck to help them keep an outdoor beer garden open.
Now, Ziegler said they can finally serve their community in a way they’ve been eager to and keep their relationship with Capitol Food Truck.
“The number one thing people can expect now is to be able to drink a beer without any caveats or requirements or mandates or anything like that outdoor,” Ziegler said.
Breweries are not the only ones finding some relief under the new orange tier.
Places like wineries, cardrooms, and family entertainment centers can now open indoors with modifications. Restaurants, gyms, and places of worship can also increase their indoor capacity.
“This is great news, something that everyone has worked for,” said Wendy Gerig, CEO of the Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a nice reward for everyone to see that orange color for us.”
The red tier that Placer County just moved out of did offer some relief for businesses, but Gerig says it still wasn’t enough for many.
“They had been allowed to open but it’s still at limited capacity, some of them had opted not to because it just didn’t make sense,” Gerig said, “So hopefully this orange tier will give them that relief they’re looking for.”
Though the chamber welcomes the traffic many Roseville and Placer County businesses will now get, they still ask everyone to be responsible and follow the guidelines in place.
“Just be smart, be cautious, and abide by the rules,” Gerig said before adding one more bit of advice, “And have fun, with people.”
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