LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Some outdoor offerings can now move in amid new guidelines | Lafayette | Moraga


An outdoor salon setup in Lafayette will now be able to move indoors due to new county guidelines. Photo Sora O'Doherty

A recent drive around Lamorinda revealed a new business practice: operating in the open air. Fortunate to enjoy mild weather, and in the absence of recent smoke drift from California fires, Lamorinda residents were seen enjoying outdoor dining at local restaurants and up until Aug. 31 were getting their hair done at outdoor salons.

Although key data indicators suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic remains at dangerously high levels in Contra Costa County, they are not increasing as they did in June and July, suggesting a leveling of COVID-19 transmission. Lamorinda, however, remains significantly below other cities in the county, according to the county's dashboard of local COVID-19 cases, accounting for less than 2% of the county's 13,259 cases.

As a result of the numbers, the county recently issued a new health order, and it's allowing hair salons and barbers to move back indoors. The Aug. 31 order allows gyms and fitness centers to operate outdoors; and personal services that do not require touching a client's face, including nail care and massages, may be offered outside as well. In addition, the order allows hotels and short-term rentals for tourism and individual travel, previously restricted to essential travel only.

Details of the update, including the full text of the order, are available at cchealth.org/coronavirus