By Recker McDowell —
The city of Mesa is allowing restaurants to expand into outdoor spaces as they deal with social distancing and COVID-19 protocols.
Mesa joins other cities, including Tempe, in easing codes and lifting permit fees to allow for outdoor expansions.
Social distancing makes it difficult if not impossible for some restaurants and shops to have enough existing capacity to survive.
“These are extraordinary circumstances we are in and the temporary action will make life a little easier for some of our small businesses struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said in a statement. “Allowing our restaurants to expand their service areas, with appropriate controls, will benefit the restaurants, the community and the city.”
These are the types of actions cities across the state and country need to be taking. Restaurants and wide swaths of the economy need immediate help and flexibility from governments and elected officials as they reopen.
Restaurants, shops, and other businesses are also being impacted by the curfews and unrest stemming from the George Floyd protests.
So many businesses need all the help they can get right now. Jobs are in the balance. Businesses are in extreme survival mode because of COVID and now the protests and unrest.
Mesa already has an assistance program helping small businesses including with PPP and CARES Act grants and loans.
Allowing restaurants to expand into outdoor areas is a common-sense idea that other cities should also be doing.