CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Many Clarksville-Montgomery County businesses reopened their doors this week as part of phase one of Governor Bill Lee’s “Tennessee Pledge” plan. Restaurants and retail locations welcomed customers under new guidelines set by the CDC and Tennessee Department of Health.
Under the governor’s reopening strategy, restaurants are able to reopen their dining rooms at 50% capacity with tables at least six feet apart. Bars are to remain closed, and live music is not permitted at this time. Furthermore, all employees must be screened for symptoms related to COVID-19 before each shift, wear masks and gloves, and practice social distancing.
For a full list of requirements, click here.
In downtown Clarksville, one of the first restaurants to reopen their dining room was Hot Pita, on the corner of North Second Street and Franklin. They were followed by their neighbor Blackhorse Pub & Brewery, who opened their dining room on Thursday, April 30.
“We are at 50% occupancy right now and it’s working out pretty well, as well as can be expected,” said Hot Pita owner Farid Rostampour. “A lot of people still don’t know. They don’t know what the guidelines are.”
“We are definitely looking forward to getting back to business. We have a lot of staff that want to come back to work. We have a lot of patrons who’ve said they want to come back in to eat,” said Blackhorse owner Jeff Robinson. “We want to do the best we can keeping in mind the challenges we all face right now in keeping everybody safe.”
Both Hot Pita and Blackhorse continue to offer carryout and curbside services alongside their dining rooms being reopened.
Not all restaurants have chosen to reopen at this time, however. Both Yada on Franklin and Strawberry Alley Ale Works have elected to keep their dining rooms closed and focus on carryout service.
“We are trying to put systems in place to make sure that all our employees are protected and that we can keep them safe and healthy. Until we feel like those systems are solid, we are holding off on opening, but we are still continuing to do our delivery and our curbside,” said Darla Knight owner of Yada on Franklin.
“We are looking forward to reopening, but right now we are just going to continue on with the takeout and the curbside pick up that we started when this situation started. Our focus moving forward is on that takeout program,” said Strawberry Alley Ale Works owner, Wes Cunningham. “The safety of our guests and our staff is always paramount over making a dollar, so that’s our priority. Right now with these rules just now being implemented, it’s all changing day by day. This week isn’t the perfect week for us to reopen.”
Retail requirements are similar to those required of restaurants. Employees must follow the same health practices, number of customers must be limited to 50% capacity and curbside, pickup and delivery services implemented when possible.
Phase one requirements for retail can be found here.
“We’re doing our part as far as making sure we mitigate traffic, help with distancing and reduced hours,” said Randy Peterson, owner of Frontline Games on the corner of 101st and Peachers Mill. “But people are people and we’re humans and we like to have company. Eventually, we’ll get back to that.”
Many major retailers remain closed as of April 30. Though Governor’s Square Mall is open, the majority of stores within remain closed. Across Wilma Rudolph, stores such as Hobby Lobby, Office Depot and Books A Million have reopened to the public.
The Tennessee Pledge reopening plan continues to move forward with gyms being able to reopen on Friday, May 1, and personal care facilities, including barbershops as well as hair and nail salons, following on Wednesday, May 6.
For a full explanation of the “Tennessee Pledge: Reopening Tennessee Responsibly” plan, click here.
For an update on the COVID-19 pandemic, including the most recent number of confirmed cases, click here.