The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale and Lancaster seek to open indoor dining capacity for restaurants

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PALMDALE – The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster sent a joint letter to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer requesting that the county allow local restaurants to open indoor dining at 25 percent capacity with modifications to prepare for the upcoming winter.

“Since May, the both cities have been working collaboratively with county officials to get our businesses open in a safe manner, following COVID-19 protocols while getting our residents back to work,” said Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy. “With winter coming and temperatures dropping, restaurants will need to offer some indoor seating to survive.”

Temperatures in the Antelope Valley in November and December can fluctuate between 30°F and 58°F with an average of one inch of snow and 1.15 inches of rain. Under these weather conditions, restaurants operating outdoors can be expected to lose between 13 and 17.6 percent of their seasonally adjusted restaurant bookings.

Data presented in the letter shows that the restaurant industry overall has been devastated by COVID-19. Employment figures for restaurants in Los Angeles County remain down 26 percent from their Sept. 2019 figures and it is estimated that between 30 to 60 percent of restaurants will permanently close by the end of 2020. Under these figures, Los Angeles County can expect between 7,800 and 15,600 restaurants to close leaving the County’s economy devastated.

Recent COVID-19 case data shows that Lancaster and Palmdale’s adjusted case rate of 2.64 and 3.24 percent respectively, and an adjusted person’s positive rate of 2.66 and 3.29 percent respectively, puts both cities below the overall county average.

“In summary, the data shows that restaurants face a very uncertain future,” the letter concludes. “The loss of an additional 20 percent of their business because of inclement weather will cause more restaurants to close, further jeopardizing the livelihood of individuals and families during the winter season. While we recognize that achieving equity in our County during this crisis is multi-faceted, allowing our restaurants to operate indoors in a limited capacity would be a significant step in the right direction.”

[Read the joint letter the Public Health Director here.]

24 comments for "Palmdale and Lancaster seek to open indoor dining capacity for restaurants"

  1. Open up all businesses. If you’re afraid to live then stay home. I’m tired of the restrictions v

  3. I’m all in favor of opening the restaurants. People who are fearful and doubtful that we can make it through this, just as we have through all of the other pandemics, including AIDS and the flu, should just stay home barricaded and blocked from the rest of society. God gave us free will, and the exercise of it should not be dictated by those who choose to shelve theirs.

    • We must get our ”LIVES BACK”… Our businesses are dying because of all these ”rules” put down by the Governor.. Other states are opening UP.. The harm of the LOCKDOWN is worse than the cause…OPEN UP CALIFORNIA! We cannot live in FEAR forever.. There will be other ”Illnesses” that will come along, we’re living with this Virus now & most people are wearing masks, but still ”moving forward” with their lives! We will get thru this.. Be POSITIVE!

  4. So that means that we are willing to sacrifice our entire community including our elderly so that we can go to a restaurant. How about we all make a joint effort to support these restaurants by ordering out whenever we have the desire to go out. That should keep our number low and the keep restaurants in businees. Come we can do this.

    • Sacrifice our entire community?

      Instead you want to sacrifice all of our businesses and workplaces… which are our community.

      Perhaps the people who are at the highest risks are the ones who should be in seclusion, instead of the entire population?

    • No, when governor Cuomo placed people infected with Covid-19 in to nursing homes, and hospice , he was willing to sacrifice the elderly. We can make choices for ourselves, the science is just that SCIENCE. It is dynamic, ever changing. If we don’t go ahead with life as normal, there will be so many mentally disturbed people in society with no help. No human contact is not normal. # FREETHEPEOPLE

      • I think the real mentally disturbed people are the ones that rub elbows with strangers and act like the stranger is wrong for asking for personal space. If not for this pandemic, most certain kinds of people wouldn’t get the idea of personal space. Hug a relative or friend, pet your dog, study a book, find some flesh. Anything to keep your mind from the despair of “No human contact.” Like if its the end of the world or something. Its just the end of social politics amongst”touchy feely” weirdos that lick their fingers when they turn a public library book page or grab a grocery bag or get pushy with strangers in a store line. America belongs to the responsible independent not a socialist touchy group. I’ll take the pandemic over the sickness of socialism any day.

  5. Go ahead open so more people can die. People hang in there just a little longer. Stop this anti [removed] we are talking about our lives.

    • Right… ‘Cause you much prefer totalitarian nationalism?

      Methinks you don’t know your “ism’s” very well, comrade. Putin’s proud of you.

    • Yes @ S U if you really care about the people like supposedly the Government does then stop selling sex on TV and Beer to the people stop selling Marijuana until then shut up and go live In China you dam Communist

    • Trump says he is a nationalist. World leaders that are or were nationalists: Ghaddafi, Duterte, Hitler, Pinochet, Mussolini, Putin, and the list goes on throughout history recording their bloodthirsty extermination of people, that in their eyes were worthless.

      • More than 99% of infected people survive.

        If you are concerned, stay home.

        If you aren’t, live your life.

  7. So on the mark with comment on
    Dr. F. Her qualifications do not generate or conducive to moving to lower phase. Our communities MUST demand and push for indoor dining
    Mall food court inside eating as well. Our winter weather MUST be accomodated!!

    • Crazy, first this Dr. Is not qualified to speak on opening anything, we are in a pandemic. What do people not understand, they can be a large solution to this problem, I’m sorry business are shut down, but a good portion that are complaining have been here for many years and some for over 50years,i know I have ate at many of them, maybe it’s time to retire and cut your loss, you have made extremely large sums of money in Lancaster CA, I really have no pity for owners, but do for employees. But I for one will not step foot in any restaurant for at least a year, I know establishments are letting employees work while having covid, they turn a blind eye to this fact, SO NO RESTAURANTS IN LANCASTER CA NEED TO BE CLOSED, UNTIL PEOPLE SEE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE CAUSING THE PROBLEM, STAY YOUR DISTANCE AND WEAR A MASK, OR YOU MAKE THIS WORSE FOR OUR LIVES AND ECONOMY.

  8. Does anyone think Dr. F will cooperate? She’s not a medical doctor but a social welfare doctor hired to alleviate LA’s homeless problem which she has failed miserably.