By Ewan Palmer
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More than 250 buisness owners in Arizona have signed a letter stating they will not be reopening their doors to the public despite having been given the go ahead to do so, fearing it is still too soon due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Businesses ranging from restaurants, retailers and salons said that while they are desperate to return to normal, the number of coronavirus cases in the state and across the U.S. mean that "things are not normal."
"We feel proceeding incautiously with the reopening of businesses will worsen human suffering in our communities and prolong the negative impact this pandemic is having on small businesses & the economy," the letter, posted on the Too Soon Arizona website, states.
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"We await guidance from credible epidemiological experts & researchers for a reopen that is safe for our customers and staff."
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Several businesses said they will continue to serve the public with medically advised no-contact curbside pickup and delivery while urging customers to wear masks when visiting, but have stopped short of reopening fully.
"We dream of the day when it is safe to open our doors & reconnect with our communities, and we'll all do our part to make it happen," the letter adds. "But it's too soon, Arizona."
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced that as of Monday, May 11, restaurants and coffee shops can resume dine-in services if they implement safety measures, having previously allowed salons, barbers and cosmetologists to do so from Friday, May 8.
Among some of the guidelines that restaurants must adhere to while reopening include maintaining social distancing between customers, allowing groups of no more than 10, symptom screening for employees prior to the start of their shift and increased sanitation procedures.
"We really want to open. We just don't feel we can right now," Sally Kane, co-owner of The Coronet restaurant, told KOLD. "I can't reopen and go down in a bowl of flame."
On its first day of reopening, a number of people gathered at CASA Tempe, a bar and restaurant with outside seating on Mill Avenue.
Chelsea Hughes, who lives in downtown Tempe, said she was shocked at the size of the crowd attending the restaurant.
"There had to have been more than 50 people there and none of them were wearing masks," she told The Arizona Republic.
Branden Basche, who attended the reopening with a group of friends, added: "It felt like any other night at CASA pre-quarantine. If they were implementing social distancing, no staff member told us so."
Tempe Police Department said they called to the restaurant following fears the crowd was too big, but said management was working within the guidelines as far as the number of people inside the business.
However, a spokesperson told The Arizona Republic officers did have to move a couple of tables to ensure they were distanced enough from each other.
Elsewhere, popular pub and restaurant Bevvy resumed dine-in service with a number of changes, including testing customer's temperature's before they enter and installing Plexiglas barriers between booths.
Steven Lopez, a regular customer at Bevvy who attended its reopening, told The Arizona Republic he it's his "constitutional right" to decide if he eats out.
"I am a true appreciator of the constitution and people have the right to choose if they want to drink or smoke," Lopez said. "This is the same thing."
There are more than 11,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Arizona, with nearly 550 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In total, 232,733 people have managed to recover from the virus across the U.S.
This graph, provided by Statista, shows the states with the highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. as of May 11.
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