Open businesses adjust to new Oregon order
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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — Essential businesses and certain retail stores that can follow social distancing rules are still open under Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s new order.
Essential includes places like grocery stores, pharmacies and banks.
But other businesses can still be open too, like hardware stores and liquor stores, if they follow certain rules.
For example, at Ace Hardware in the Pearl, they’re only allowing two customers inside at once.
“You can’t walk in the aisles or anything like that, you just sort of have to know what you want and ask for it and they bring it,” shopper Yvonne Campbell said.
Everyone else is six feet apart in line outside.
The staff started making these changes last week anticipating stricter state guidelines.
“We provide a lot of essential services to people in the community and we wanted to be able to do that without it getting overwhelming inside the store,” supervisor Drew Stefani said.
And sure enough, Oregon now requires businesses still open to designate an employee to manage and enforce social distancing rules or face being shut down if they don’t.
That goes for liquor stores too, where you’ll also notice an evenly spaced line out the door.
Right now, they’re allowed to bring liquor to the curbside too so customers don’t have to get out of the car.
“If we do more now, we should get through it quicker. I think we’re all in it together, so that’s what we’re going to do, and we’ll get through it,” said Jeff Ball, owner of 11th Avenue Liquor.
The new retail business requirements do not apply to grocery, healthcare, medical and pharmacy services. They can all continue as usual, but the governor said she encourages them to practice the same kinds of things.
And as far as restaurants and bars, the rule is still takeout and delivery only.
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