Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveD
Georgia, which sort of never shut down, is sort of opening back up again.
I don't really think most of metro Atlanta is, and metro Atlanta is about 60% of the state population and more than 2/3rds of the state economy.
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I took advantage to get a haircut last weekend. Lauren and I also visited one of her favorite restaurants on Monday, which had the dining room open. Not everything that can open is open and not all restaurants that are open are opening their dining rooms. You have to check to see what is open. I would say most restaurants are not opening their dining rooms.
So, what was it like? The barber had a mask and the chairs are distanced. All of the customers didn't have a mask. He said that was the busiest day in the history of his shop and he had new customers from the barbers that didn't open. Georgia wasn't closed long enough for me to actually miss a haircut. The dine-in restaurant experience was interesting. Paper menus, closed tables for spacing, no waiting or reservations, they clean the entire seating area when you leave, salt and pepper isn't on the table and is cleaned after use, everyone on staff has masks... but not all are wearing them correctly. I saw an occasional nose above the mask. Not many people appear to be interested in eating inside the restaurant, which may explain why so many restaurants are still pick-up and to-go. Service was better than usual, with fewer tables and fewer customers. The manager was able to visit every table. I have noticed more people wearing masks in grocery stores. It appears as if most store customers are now wearing a mask in suburban Atlanta. I have seen store employees without them, removing it to talk to customers, and just covering their mouth and not their nose.
My Mom works in healthcare and she said she wouldn't eat at a restaurant or even order take-out or delivery. My wife Lauren did want to go out to all of her favorite places, but after talking with my Mom and thinking about it, she isn't as excited to go out to restaurants or any entertainment venues that are allowed to open. Monday was the only day we ate restaurant food this week.
I have noticed a slight increase in traffic, since so much has reopened. However, it's still not as bad as it was pre-COVID-19. Traffic in Atlanta does something locals call "The Accordion," which is exactly what you think. Slow-down, speed-up, slow-down, stop, speed-up, etc.,. The Accordion tried to return on major roads, for the first time since early-March, but it wasn't as bad as it usually is. Traffic doesn't stop or back-up in travel lanes next to turning lanes. Some of the turning lanes need to be lengthened in Metro Atlanta to prevent back-ups.