TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Businesses are reacting after county officials recommended they take some more steps to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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The first request, reduce indoor occupancy to 25% or less and that includes employees.
Grant Krueger is the owner of Union Public House, Reforma and Proof in the Saint Phillip's Plaza. He said it is a difficult request for all restaurant owners on top of the curfew, but it's something his business is overcoming.
“The interior restrictions are something we've already been working with. Quite frankly, there's a lot of restaurants in town that aren't even full at the 50% interior occupancy because there's such a demand for outdoor dining right now," he explained.
Krueger said his business has been inspected about 15 times since the summer. It's passed every time with a large outdoor seating area, social distancing in place, and a mask mandate when not eating.
“We looked at our brothers and sisters in the gym business as well too as [Pima County] recommendations now, for gyms, indoors in fitness centers to shut down as well and so we know just how difficult, that's going to be for all of us,” explained Krueger.
Another request is to voluntarily close gyms, movie theaters, and salons.
Inside of Prestige Fitness, owner Ron Yousefnejad is going the extra mile.
"I think that the county itself is looking after the safety of the citizens. But in my opinion, I don't think they're taking a look at businesses as businesses. It's very challenging to stay and be in the business we're operating on one-fourth the capacity," he said.
Yousefnejad says he’s been in business over a decade and has overcome several challenges — the pandemic is just another one to add to his list.
He equipped his gym with a temperature checking station and everyone inside training is required to be masked up.
" I think, to this day, we're still the only fully inspected facility in Tucson that was audited by [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] OSHA to make sure that we're really meeting that self-safety these standards. We passed that," he explained.
