Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

41 minutes ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

20 hours ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

22 hours ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

24 hours ago

Wall Street Jumps as Microsoft Enters $4 Trillion Club After Results

1 day ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

2 days ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

2 days ago
Pop Open a Bottle, California Wine Tasting Rooms Reopening
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 13, 2020

Share

SAN DIEGO — California wineries started uncorking their bottles and welcoming people back to their tasting rooms Friday as the state’s $145 billion tourism industry gears up with hotels, zoos, museums and aquariums also allowed to reopen.

With COVID-19 cases in the state still growing, the tourism industry is trying to balance how to implement safety measures to control a pandemic without ruining the fun.
With COVID-19 cases in the state still growing, the tourism industry is trying to balance how to implement safety measures to control a pandemic without ruining the fun.
Hotels will limit people lounging by pools and nix breakfast buffets for now. There will be no double-decker safari buses packed with tourists rolling through the San Diego Zoo, nor animal shows that draw crowds.
The zoo instead is using its buses to hold moving shows that will glide past people standing on green circles to keep them six feet apart. Every visitor over the age of two will be required to wear face coverings.
Wine tasting rooms also are encouraging masks and making room for physical distancing. Many are requiring appointments for tastings.
Gavin Newsom was the nation’s first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19. He gradually started lifting the orders in May, allowing retail stores and restaurants to reopen. He soon added churches and hair salons with restrictions.
Stay-at-home orders are estimated to have cost the state economy $72 billion in revenue from tourism and more than 600,000 hospitality jobs, according to Visit California, the state’s tourism marketing organization.
Photo of giraffes at the zoo
A giraffe looks on behind a sign asking visitors to maintain social distancing before the reopening of the San Diego Zoo, Thursday, June 11, 2020, in San Diego. California’s tourism industry is gearing back up with the state giving counties the green light to allow hotels, zoos, aquariums, wine tasting rooms and museums to reopen Friday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Cases of COVID-19 in the State Are Still Climbing

The list of businesses cleared to reopen Friday included movie theaters, bars and gyms and is the most expansive yet, though counties have the ultimate say on which stores and services can open their doors.
Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 in the state are still climbing. California on Thursday reported 139,281 cases and 4,881 deaths. The state’s daily average of new cases is up by more than 600 over the daily average a week ago.
Those who have tested positive include a manager at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa near Palm Springs, which reopened in late May with required masks and temperature checks. Another 11 employees who interacted with the manager are being tested. All are staying home, the Press-Enterprise of Riverside reported Friday. The manager has not experienced symptoms nor had contact with the general public.
Health officials are monitoring at least 10 counties because of concerns about the virus.
Some areas are choosing to go slower than the state is allowing. San Francisco reopened outdoor restaurant dining on Friday, and hotels there will not receive tourists until August.
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board President & CEO Ernest Wooden Jr. said the industry is ready for the challenge.
Hotels are using electrostatic sprayers and LED technology to clean, like at Pendry Hotel in San Diego, which also placed rowers and fitness equipment in rooms for guests to use on-demand.

There Will Be No Behind-The-Scene Tours nor Opportunities for Tourists to Feed the Rhino or Giraffes

Many attractions, like San Diego’s famed zoo, are going slowly. On Friday, it opened to only employees and volunteers and their families. Next week, members and donors can visit and then on June 20 it will open to the public.

Volunteers armed with disinfectant will stand ready to wipe down railings as visitors return to see the animals, many of which had babies while the zoo was closed.
Volunteers armed with disinfectant will stand ready to wipe down railings as visitors return to see the animals, many of which had babies while the zoo was closed.
There will be no behind-the-scene tours nor opportunities for tourists to feed the rhino or giraffes.
“We have a responsibility to continue to do our part to fight the spread of COVID for sure, but we also have to balance that with the interest in reopening,” said zoo director Dwight Scott.
“People need to be outdoors and active and to have a peaceful experience,” he said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
Some museums, like the USS Midway in San Diego, will be checking everyone’s temperatures. Visitors also will be required to follow established one-way routes on the aircraft carrier, which reopens July 1 and has installed more than 170 hand-sanitizer stations and plastic glass barriers between sinks and urinals in the bathrooms.
South Lake Tahoe said Friday that it’s ready for tourists but advises people “to go big on distancing, masks matter, plan to change plans, no germs or anything else left behind, expect closures, and if sniffles stay home.”
Disneyland is seeking permission to reopen July 17, though theme parks is among the list of businesses not cleared yet nor are concert venues, night clubs and nail salons.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

DON'T MISS

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

DON'T MISS

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

DON'T MISS

US Envoy Witkoff Visits Aid Operation in Gaza Rejected by UN as Unsafe

DON'T MISS

Visalia Road Project to Temporarily Shut Down Part of Caldwell Avenue

DON'T MISS

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

DON'T MISS

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

DON'T MISS

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

UP NEXT

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

UP NEXT

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

UP NEXT

California Under Tsunami Advisory After Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake

UP NEXT

As Trump Cuts Education, Candidates Line Up for California’s Top Schools Job

UP NEXT

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

UP NEXT

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

UP NEXT

New Gallup Poll Reveals Most Immoral Behaviors In America

UP NEXT

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

UP NEXT

California Governor Candidate Stirs Outrage With Auschwitz ‘Unemployment Plan’ Post

UP NEXT

California May Soon Ban Selling New Glocks Like Kamala Harris Owns

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

44 minutes ago

US Envoy Witkoff Visits Aid Operation in Gaza Rejected by UN as Unsafe

47 minutes ago

Visalia Road Project to Temporarily Shut Down Part of Caldwell Avenue

49 minutes ago

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

15 hours ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

17 hours ago

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

18 hours ago

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

18 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

18 hours ago

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

19 hours ago

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

20 hours ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Lifelong hunter J.R. Young of San Jose rushed to an online...

4 minutes ago

.25 Caliber Ammunition on the Counter at Big 5
4 minutes ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

A Wall Street plate is seen on a street vendor stall outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 11, 2025. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)
37 minutes ago

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

A construction worker is shown at work on a multi-unit residential housing project in Encinitas, California, U.S., July 28, 2025. (Reuters/Mike Blake)
41 minutes ago

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 30, 2025. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)
44 minutes ago

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, August 1, 2025. (Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
47 minutes ago

US Envoy Witkoff Visits Aid Operation in Gaza Rejected by UN as Unsafe

Wide view of road construction site and a man holding traffic sign that says SLOW .Bright orange traffic cones and trucks and cars are visible Asset id: 1624463698 Wide view of road construction site and a man holding traffic sign that says SLOW .Bright orange traffic cones and trucks and cars are visible
49 minutes ago

Visalia Road Project to Temporarily Shut Down Part of Caldwell Avenue

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
15 hours ago

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

A fire sparked by oily rags displaced a Fresno family and damaged their home Thursday, July 31, 2025, but firefighters rescued three dogs, a chameleon, and a turtle with no injuries reported. (Fresno FD)
17 hours ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend