SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As COVID-19 cases surge in Sacramento County due to the Omicron variant, many have decided going out is worth the risk.
“We’re vaccinated, and we’re boosted. That’s the big thing and the reason why we’re here,” said Joann Harrison, who dined outside with her friend Margaret Pena on a restaurant patio in the Handle District Friday. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be,” she said.
Their reunion was a long time coming, but comes under the cloud of the newest COVID variant to spread like wildfire across the United States.
“I could just see the effects of Omicron, because people are calling out sick,” said Pena, who was returning to Sacramento for the first time since moving away to San Diego in April.
Restaurants and bars around the country have seen staff call out sick just as they were starting to recover from the long pandemic slump.
“We can’t discount as a community how much our restaurants and small businesses need our support,” said Michael Ault, with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, adding that restaurants are hyper aware of the importance of safety right now.
“The importance of preparations to make sure not only the customers are safe, but their staff are staying safe,” Ault said.
“I will say there’s a very specific reason why we’re outside, not inside,” said Jenn Hayes, who joined a handful of friends for a drink on K Street.
Weighing the risks of going out amid the Omicron spike, she said all of her friends were vaccinated and took precautions like wearing masks indoors.
“I want to come out to these places that in a year, hopefully when things are better I hope they’re still here,” Hayes said.
