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Businesses Go Green: Employees, Customers Adjust To A New Normal In Allegheny County

ALLEGHENY COUNTY (KDKA) -- You know that surge of traffic when the light turns green. That's what today was like as the region entered the COVID-19 Precautions Green Phase.

All of a sudden after ten weeks of calm, it was busy everywhere both on tires and on foot.

Parking lots at restaurants were back to filling up as the doors for indoor dining opened in many places and pent up demand brought the customers in.

The outdoor tables – socially distanced – were busy by midday at Cadillac Ranch in Robinson Township, and the open tables indoors were getting used as well.

Nearby at Panera Bread Kathy O'Toole settled in for lunch with a friend.

"I watched them clean the table before I sat down so I feel good," she said.

Kelly O'Connor and her staff have been doing non-stop cleaning and social distance marking for day to prepare for this day that she thought might never come.

"I was really afraid for all of us but here we are back and I'm so happy," O'Connor said.

Charlie Matthews sat down at a booth in Kelly O's looked around and declared, "It feels a little bit strange especially in here. Usually when we're in here the place is packed."

With only half the tables available Kelly says it will be tough on the bottom line. Aliene Ely was just happy to sit down at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables.

"It's been three months without no human contact so it's really good," Ely said.

While the malls reopened today not all the stores have. For a variety of reasons, stores are holding off. Some need to restock, some need to restaff, others because their corporate headquarters are proceeding cautiously.

The major movie theatres could reopen but are remaining dark for now.

But the lights are all on at the region's hair salons and barbershops. Customers arrived with a common theme best voiced by Alethia who was getting color on her hair.

"I'm very desperate," she said.

Me'Chele Humphries-Hays wore a face shield as she worked the color in.

"I want to make sure my client is safe, I'm safe, and everyone at home is safe," Humphries-Hays said.

Around the corner in Sola in the Strip, Dan Pfeifer says he feels like he's contributing to society again as he worked color into Shirley Chabalie's hair.

"It feels fantastic, I can't complain I'm so happy to be back," he said.

Chabalie was glad to have one of Dan's early appointments and says three months of COVID-19 Hair growth has opened up possibilities.

"I normally have short hair, but I told Dan I'm loving the length so I'm keeping it long. I just need to get the grey."

Alethia is also considering something new but not too wild.

"No no, we're not doing blue or purple," she laughed.

Stylist Julie Vari expects to see a wide variety of looking coming to her chair.

"It's like a fresh clean pallet to work with," Vari said.

Not everyone joined the reopening parade today. Some businesses are holding off on reopening. And some restaurants are sticking to take out only for now. So if you're planning a dinner out you might want to call ahead. Restaurant owners didn't know what to expect but considering how this day has started, they are now expecting anything but a typical weekend. And remember they can only use half their capacity.

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