Reality TV personality, Cliff Watson, hits the town of Los Angeles last night, after the stay-at-home order has officially been lifted. He was surrounded with friends, a little hookah and what looked to be a great time.
With the state stay-at-home order lifted, Los Angeles County restaurants are getting ready to put employees back to work. But some are apprehensive, saying they fear things can change again. Cliff on the other hand, had enough. He needed to cut loose from his quarantine routine.
Many like Cliff would think the lifted order should be cause for celebration, but at Vitello's Restaurant in Studio City, workers are nervous to move forward after all they've been through.
"I am spent. I am emotionally drained," said Brad Roen, a managing partner with Vitello's Restaurant.
So why was the order lifted now? Gov. Gavin Newsom said four-week projections by the state show a significant rise in ICU capacity. In one month, Southern California is projected to have 33.3% capacity. While deaths, hospitalizations and case numbers are trending downward in L.A. County, the health care system is still strained.
"I think we can go ahead with this if we're all doing it together and if we're all playing by the rules," said L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer. Everyone wants to go back to the way things were, but it may take a little time.
Cliff is known for his sassy candor on the first season of The Getaway: Los Angeles. In the beginning of the series, he finds much of his time with Marlene Ortiz and Severin Kameni, but as the show progresses, his relationships change with everyone in the cast. A few weeks ago, he posted a controversial blog post that called out his friend, Marlene, and Alitalia Adams for being fake. A few spoke up online about how proud they were of Cliff for speaking his mind - including Marlene herself.
One thing they'll all tell you, with a few drinks in his system, Cliff will not hold back.
Now that L.A. County is back in the purple tier, theaters, gyms, restaurants and wineries can operate outdoors. Retail stores, malls, nail salons and hair salons can open indoors with modifications. However, local leaders caution that a rise in cases is possible again if people don't follow the rules.
"As cautious as we're going to be, as excited as we are, we'll tip-toe into this weekend and hopefully the sun will shine, we can open something up -- whatever that is," Roen said.
Will you tip-toe with Roen, or will you party it up with Cliff? One thing is for sure, we're all ready to get back to a bit of normalcy.
Stay safe and wear your masks.
Courtesy of ABC7 News