Restaurants adapt to stay open as COVID-19 cases rise in Orange County

The stay-at-home order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic posed challenges to restaurants, which had to rely on their takeout and delivery services for a time.

Dining rooms have since reopened, but operations do not look the same as they once did.

Reopening has required adaptation as the coronavirus remains a concern. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases has jumped since Orange County entered advanced “Stage 2” reopening following the shutdown.

Mike Bartusick, the owner and president of the Park Bench Café in Huntington Beach, said that his restaurant is lucky to have an outdoor space for tables. The café is spacing out its tables by 10 to 12 feet, he said.

About 25% of his employees opted to stay home upon reopening. Bartusick added that those positions have been filled.

“We’re trying to make sure we are safe,” Bartusick said. “We are sanitizing tables, menus and chairs between use and making sure people wear masks.”

Cathy Nichols, a customer at the Park Bench Café on Saturday, remains mindful of the suggested guidelines to keep COVID-19 at bay. She said the café requires masks when checking in and she does not mind.

“So much healthier than people being stuck inside,” Nichols said of eating outdoors. “I think they’re doing a great job.”

Additionally, the Park Bench Café was offering contactless ordering by providing access to the menu through a QR code.

The Orange County Health Care Agency reported an additional 540 cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases the county has seen to 12,462.

The death toll countywide from COVID-19 remains at 323, a number that includes 170 skilled nursing facility residents and two people experiencing homelessness.

An additional 1,583 tests for the coronavirus were performed within the last day, raising the cumulative total to 209,303.

There are currently 467 hospitalizations related to COVID-19, with 179 of those patients in an intensive care unit.

The county healthcare agency now estimates that 6,891 have recovered from a bout with the disease.

Here are the latest cumulative case counts and deaths for select cities:

• Santa Ana: 2,630 cases; 82 deaths
• Anaheim: 2,371 cases; 82 deaths
• Huntington Beach: 565 cases; 37 deaths
• Irvine: 342 cases; 5 deaths
• Costa Mesa: 297 cases; 2 deaths
• Newport Beach: 247 cases; 2 deaths
• Fountain Valley: 107 cases; 6 deaths
• Laguna Beach: 56 cases; 0 deaths

Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc.

For information on getting tested, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing.

Daily Pilot Staff Photographer Raul Roa contributed to this report.

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