As California continues to gain ground against the coronavirus, the state is easing restrictions on private gatherings. This means weddings, quinceañeras and anyone else who’s had to cancel or postpone their big event due to the coronavirus can now start planning.
“For us, it is a, 'Hooray! Yes, we did it. We are opening the doors.’ Because that's going to allow our clients to have more guests,” said Noemi Garcia, an event planner, and florist at Trendee Flowers.
For the first time in over 13 months, those in the event industry are recovering the hope that things are finally getting better.
“This past week, I was able to really see an increase of clients in our store,” said Mario Alberto Valenzuela, owner of Mario’s Boutique in Chula Vista.
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The reason behind the sudden uptick in business could be due to the state's recent release of new guidelines for private events as they allow for larger crowds.
“Hopefully the doors are opening soon, and we can get back into the ring of things we used to have before,” Garcia said.
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The state's new guidelines allow for counties in the Orange Tier to host events with 150 indoor guests and up to 300 outdoor guests if all guests test negative for COVID-19 or are fully vaccinated.
“With those parameters I’m sure there's going to be difficulties because of guests having to get vaccinated but with due process we know it’s a step in the right direction for us to have more events,” Garcia said.
The new guidelines also allow bar service, cocktail hour and dancing.
Masks are still required when not eating or drinking. Social distancing is also mandatory among people from different households.
