DOVER, De. - As the state announced changes to the state of emergency this morning, some local business owners breathed a sigh of relief.
In another revision to Delaware Governor John Carney's state of emergency order, starting on February 12th at 8am restaurants, retail locations, houses of worship, gyms, art venues, and other business locations can operate at 50% capacity.
For restaurants like The Palace in Milford, this is great news after months of being limited at 30% capacity.
"That will be nice, that means I can put more girls on the floor, they get more hours, that will definitely help with their income because it's taken a hit with this. I'm looking forward to that for them and for the business in general we'll be able to have more customers and accommodate more people in hopefully a more timely manner," said manager Katlyn Carter.
Tre Sorelle Dolce, an ice cream parlor in Wyoming, says it can now add another table for service.
"I think any time you can increase the capacity it's a step in the right direction. I think having those limitations, specifically for restaurants has just been detrimental, it's really been a challenge. And I think it's forced a lot of businesses including myself to kind of reinvent how we sell our products, in terms of take out, in terms of a drive through," said owner Mike Marasco.
But fitness studios are still feeling the burn of these restrictions. Studios that teach classes such as yoga, barre, or other classes are still limited to 10 people per session. Gyms, meanwhile, can open at 50% starting next week.
"I have lots of friends that own small businesses, gyms, and it's been really challenging because people are going to these online platforms that are bigger companies that it's really hard to compete with. For me, I hope people know that, I run a tight ship so to say. We are taking all the necessary precautions, I'm very particular about cleaning," explained Ice House Wellness & Community owner Jessica Moyer.
Sara Rowley, co-owner of Sea Barre Fitness in Lewes, admits she is frustrated by this.
"We're pretty frustrated to hear about the new restrictions being lifted because honestly, yes they do help the big box gyms, but we would make the argument that we are actually the types of fitness studios and the small businesses that actually can use the help and relief," she explained.
One thing everyone we spoke to today agreed on: the need to support local businesses.