Greenwich shops welcome easing of COVID-19 restrictions
GREENWICH — Merchants, workers and local residents were all pleased that capacity restrictions were lifted Friday, allowing full occupancy of stores and restaurants for the first time since COVID-19 hit, while maintaining mask and social distancing requirements.
The permission from the state to open up more seats for dining, or add more clients to a fitness class, was a welcome financial boost, local businessoperators said, and more important, one step closer to normalcy after a year of dealing with pandemic restrictions.
Harris Grannick, whose family-owned pharmacy has been a fixture on Greenwich Avenue for decades, said the new state regulations allowing more customers inside stores and businesses was a positive development. While his store never reached the state-mandated capacity levels, the loosening of restrictions allowed by the state will boost consumer confidence, he said.
“It’s a great thing — for the town, shoppers, everyone,” said the co-owner of Grannick’s Pharmacy. “It’s devastating to see all the stores that have shuttered on the Avenue. So to see people shopping again, it’s great, to see people out — only good things can come of it. It’s exciting to get back to normal.”
Grannick recalled a very different scene on the Avenue a year ago, when the streets and stores were empty. The sight of shoppers and diners out and about on a Friday afternoon was a relief, he said.
On Friday, the state lifted limits at restaurants, indoor recreation centers, libraries, museums, aquariums, gyms and fitness centers, retail shops, offices and houses of worship, just as it expanded COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to all resints age 45 and older. Mask wearing, distancing and cleaning protocols are still required.
At Punch Fitness Center, the easing of restrictions meant that open classes can once again be held, head fitness instructor Miguel Cardona said.
The center, which is in a downstairs location on Greenwich Avenue and offers boxing, kick-boxing and martial arts training, has been scrupulously cleaned and will continue a stringent cleaning routine, Cardona said.
“It’s peace of mind for the clients,” he said. “We’ll keep some measures in place, like cleaning. It’s something we can do, when people are getting comfortable going back to the gym, to ensure safety.” The indoor capacity of the fitness center, technically a studio under state law, was capped in recent months.
“This weekend, we’re bringing open classes back. That helps bring business back,” the fitness instructor said.
At the Plaza Restaurant on Railroad Avenue, a number of the counter seats are still marked off with tape, keeping diners from using them because they’re spaced too closely together.
But the new state guidelines meant the restaurant could open some booths, said co-owner Alex Kordis, and that was a welcome change. The steady progress of reopening is important to get people comfortable after a year with COVID-19, he said.
“Public confidence, that’s what matters the most,” he said.
At the Grigg Street Pizza shop, co-owner Matt Watson said the real boost for his business will be when the large office buildings in central Greenwich start to fill up again with workers.
“The office buildings are at 10 percent. When it’s back to 50 percent, we’ll see more business. We need those offices coming back,” Watson said. The shop offers limited seating and mostly relies on takeout, but putting out all of the restaurant’s chairs was a benefit, he said.
The shop has been closed several days a week, Watson said, but “we will start opening up more days.” He said the demand for pizza had been strong during the pandemic — “It’s takeout, it’s easy, it’s affordable and it’s comfort food.”
Like others who work and do business in central Greenwich, Watson said the mood appeared to be more optimistic that the coronavirus pandemic was diminishing.
“The lifting of restrictions, 100 percent, it’s a good thing. Let’s monitor it. And with the vaccines, more and more people getting them — let’s get back to normal,” he said.