More Santa Cruz County businesses reopen as county moves to Yellow Tier

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Blue Lounge has been closed for much of the last year. Now, its doors can once again reopen as Santa Cruz County moves to the Yellow Tier.

Santa Cruz officially moved into the yellow tier and this means businesses like amusement parks, breweries, and gyms can expand their capacity. Other businesses like bars that don't serve food, are able to finally reopen to open indoors for the first time in months at a capacity of 25 percent or 35 percent if there is proof of a negative COVID-19 test and full vaccination.

Bars that don't serve food are some of the last to be able to reopen under California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Fred Friedman, the owner, and manager of The Blue Lounge in Santa Cruz closed its doors in March 2020, briefly opened in June but were quickly shut down.

"There was no active business but it's been challenging to be closed for a whole year and we're fortunate enough to survive and been able to wait long enough to reopen, so it was a great sacrifice," said Friedman.

In order to reach the yellow tier, Santa Cruz needed to have minimal COVID-19 spread including less than 2 daily cases per 100,000 people in the entire county and a positive test rate of less than 2 percent.

Friedman says he owes his bar reopening to the vaccine.

"I'm grateful that the vaccine came around and accelerated that process and don't miss 2020 a great deal. I'm glad that we're back open and life is approaching normal again," said Friedman.

The bartender, Nelson Borges, said he often speaks with patrons and believes that most people miss simple human interaction.

"I feel like people come to the bar to enjoy themselves, they want to have conversations with the bartender, they want to have conversations with other people and that's what I feel a lot of people have been missing," said Borges.

The bar is continuing to ask patrons to wear their masks and continue to social distance.