Individual businesses face a complex set of decisions

By Jude Mead
Photo by Savage Frieze

When Covid-19 struck, most places shut down or scaled back to stop the disease’s spread. The state allowed the reopening of some sectors of the economy on May 20, but the challenges continue, and those challenges are real for many of the businesses and organizations in town. 

Restarting means redesigning. Many changes were implemented to keep up with the balance between community safety and economic survival. Whether it is recalling workers for retail stores, opening up restaurants for in-house dining or trying to serve patrons and clients in other public areas, service providers must all consider protecting public health and adjusting to the state’s guidelines. 

Recovery is going to be gradual but the focus of the state has shifted from crisis response to restoration of public services and businesses. According to Governor Ned Lamont’s May 20 executive order, restaurants, offices, retail stores and outdoor museums and zoos may reopen but must adhere to strict social distancing and sanitation practices as well as follow other state guidelines. Hair salons and barbershops may reopen on June 1. Still, the decision to reopen rests with the individual concern.

Wood Creek Bar and Grill will make some cautious changes. Run by Heidi Dinsmore and her husband Michael, the restaurant has truly been a “culinary jewel” in Norfolk for the past eight weeks, as the couple has kept the doors open for take-out service. This has been a trying time for the Dinsmores, and the couple expressed their gratitude for the community support. “We are so lucky and thankful to be living here. Though we had to reinvent and redesign ourselves, people came out of nowhere to help support us,” said Dinsmore. 

Since the partial lifting of restrictions, Dinsmore has made some changes. “We are following the state guidelines and going above that to protect ourselves, our employees and our customers,” said Dinsmore. She plans to move slowly and keep a close watch on what happens as other state businesses reopen. For now, Dinsmore has brightened up the town with a few outdoor tables decorated with fresh flowers. Wood Creek currently serves lunch and dinner on its terrace with appropriate social distancing. 

Infinity Hall will closely follow the state’s regulations when they reopen. However, Lisa Ludwig, the general manager, expects a slower recovery only because of the concert venue’s circumstances. “It would be difficult to social distance in a music hall. Because a large part of our dining business depends on the concerts, we will not be opening the restaurant either at this time. The good news is that all the concerts were rescheduled for a later date,” said Ludwig.

Ryan Craig, manager of the Berkshire Country Store, said that as of now he has no plans to change anything, “I’m tentatively thinking I will trail 14 days behind any state-level decisions to see how things trend. I’m all for being on the cutting edge, but when it comes to the health and safety of my employees and my community I’m taking a cautious approach,” said Craig.

Craig wants to keep the public’s confidence that his store continues to prepare their food safely. “Currently we are not letting people in the building and we are not accepting cash payments for that very reason,” he said. Craig has a cash register set up at the second door so people can only come as far as the foyer, and he has plexiglass across the door. 

Kathy Williams said the Artisan Guild would reopen in May but under the recommendations of the state. “ We will open our doors, but there will be mandatory restrictions such as only four customers and one employee in the store at any one time. We will require masks unless someone is on oxygen, and we have hand sanitizer available at the door,” said Williams. Williams is state certified and has followed all the state’s requirements for self-certification.

Ann Havemeyer, executive director of the Norfolk Library, said that the library staff is working to begin curbside service on the first of June. “The Library will remain closed but patrons may place a hold on a book, audiobook, or DVD and call the library to make an appointment to pick it up on the back porch. We are calling this service “Porch Pick-Up,” said Havemeyer. She added that library materials should be returned in the book drop. All returned library materials will be quarantined for 72 hours and wiped down before re-circulating.

The National Iron Bank will not be opening its lobby but will continue with its drive-up window service. It will re-evaluate in the middle of June.

Dawn Whalen, executive director of the Norfolk Hub, has also been reviewing the state of Connecticut guidelines and will be watching the results of the reopenings around the state. “Armed with this information,” says Whalen, “the Norfolk Hub will plan for the possibility of providing some limited service while keeping the staff and friends of the Hub safe.” Whalen will keep the Norfolk Foundation website updated with current information.

Everyone reopening or planning to reopen will have to follow the state’s strict safety guidelines. Among these are a capacity limit of 50 percent for businesses, strict cleaning and disinfection protocols in all settings and hand sanitizer readily available for everyone. 

Face masks and other personal protective equipment should continue to be worn in public at all times. A safety training program for employees, self-health checks daily, continued social distancing, touchless appliances and a six-foot separation for all seating arrangements. These are just a few of the requirements that must be met. Safeguards will gradually loosen as the state sees public health concerns progress.