Newsom lays out plan to reopen California
LOS ANGELES - The state of California is making progress against the battle with COVID-19, but Gov. Gavin Newsom said there are six factors to consider before lifting the stay-at-home order.
The factors include the ability to protect our communities through testing, the ability to prevent infection in those at risk, the ability of hospitals to handle surges, the ability to develop therapeutics, the ability for businesses, schools and child care facilities to support physical distancing, and the ability to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home order, if necessary.
Newsom also said restaurants will have restrictions when the order is lifted.
"You may be having dinner with a waiter wearing masks and gloves, the menus are disposable, and half the tables in the restaurant no longer appear," said Newsom.
RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com: FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.
Elizabeth An and Catherine An run "Crustacean Beverly Hills," and "Tiato" in Santa Monica. Both restaurants are part of the famous "House of An," and have been experiencing changes due to coronavirus.
"We went from fine dining to delivery and take out for the first time in history for House of An," said Elizabeth An.
Elizabeth said the restaurant is prepared for other changes after the stay-at-home order is lifted.
"I know that the staff will still be wearing gloves and masks. We're going to probably voluntarily take less reservations, and give the room more breathing room. We will want that safety for staff and patrons. I think that people are not going to be ready to go back to partying and restaurants full force. I think there will be a sense of caution, carefulness and we have to respect that," said Elizabeth.
RELATED: Learn how you can take action to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
Tiato's restaurant has also changed its service. Their regular menu is available for pick-up and delivery through their website and several other food delivery apps like Postmates. The restaurant has a prepared meal-plan to refrigerate and reheat food for customers too. They want as many orders as possible to keep their staff employed.
"Hopefully we'll gain the momentum to bring back more employees which is very important to my family, ways to keep our staff employed," said Catherine An.
Experts believe other businesses will also be impacted once the state re-opens.
"I think we may well have a staggered return to work where we don't all go back at once, we go industry by industry and hold out for the people who can telecommute to the end," said George Rutherford, a Professor of Epidemiology at the University of California in San Francisco.
Rutherford said it's unlikely to see large gatherings happen any time soon, and believes people will continue wearing masks once the stay-at-home-order lifts.
"The virus hasn't gone anywhere. It's still around. Only one percent of us have had it. There are still many questions, and we have to find out what immunity means," said Rutherford.
Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
Crustacean Beverly Hills delivered matza ball soup to medical personnel at Cedars Sinai Tuesday to thank the staff for their work during the pandemic. The restaurant has "An The Go," with their own trained black glove delivery service that is available seven days a week from 12-8 p.m.