Central Coast shoppers facing more hurdles during COVID-19 holiday season
GILROY, Calif. (KION) With more restrictive COVID-19 rules on the way, many Central Coast shoppers are finding they will not be able to buy things as easily as they could at the popular Gilroy Premium Outlets off Highway 101.
Capacity limits within stores are not a new thing in Santa Clara County; there were long lines at a few stores throughout the night on Friday.
"Yeah, stand outdoors in line for about 20 minutes till you get let in by the store," said Bryan Luna, a Santa Cruz resident.
Increasing COVID-19 case rates in Santa Clara and four other Bay Area counties are now prompting a preemptive start to a new, more restrictive statewide stay-at-home order. They are not waiting on state orders to move forward.
Santa Clara County says right now, COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising with 80 percent of all hospital beds already full.
"We are getting close to the numbers we experienced during our peak in late March and April," said Dr. Paul Silka, who works at Regional Medical Center San Jose.
Right now, stores are trying to make the most of the holiday shopping season, the profits of which carry some for the rest of the year.
Retailers would have to manage shoppers at a 20 percent capacity limit under the new rules, which could mean even longer lines, longer wait times and likely deterring shopping all together.
"As far as safety, I understand that. At the same time though, it's kind of killing our hopes and stuff coming out of this," said Luna.
Outdoor seating for restaurants will also have to shutdown. It'll be back to take-out or delivery only. Public officials are hoping these measures will help stave off overwhelming hospital ICU beds in the coming months.
It is a sentiment felt by many shoppers too.
"I just hope that they get the vaccine out as soon as they can safely obviously and we come out of this alive," said Luna.
The new stay at home restrictions are expected to take effect in Santa Clara County on Sunday night. The five counties that are implementing restrictions earlier suggested Jan. 4 could be the end date of those rules.
