Businesses Reopen Under New Health Measure

NEBRASKA CITY – The new health directive for the Southeast District Health Department allows hair salons and restaurants to re-open under special pandemic conditions and business  in Nebraska City are back to work.

For teacher Sharon Larson the re-opening of The Hair Factory came at the right time for her hair.

Larson: “Mine wasn’t too bad. I got it just before it started and this is the first day that she is opened.  So it was about as long I (normally) go between hair cuts.”

 

Stylist and salon owner Alicia Blex said she is booked this week, but has some openings next week.

Kathy Spittler of Ultimate Cut and Color had her former classmate from Rock Port High School on day one of the new DHM.

Customer: “This is wonderful … We’re old friends. We came from the same town and I’ve know Kathy forever. She’s a real good hair dresser.”

 

She was even persuaded to wear her mask, which is part of the HDM for salons.

 

Restaurants are re-opening too. The Downtowner Casual Café first opened on Jan. 23, but its dining room was closed due the pandemic within two months.

Co-owner Rachael Ball is thrilled to be able to re-open the dining room after five weeks.

 

Ball: “It was a pretty big impact because we opened, we were a new restaurant, café, you know we’re a scratch kitchen, people were loving the food, so we went from being packed on the weekends to kind of like nothing.”

The restaurant tried curbside pickup and delivery, trying to make enough to stay in business and said the town has been very supportive.

Ball: “I think people are getting a little more relaxed about coming into places because it’s been long enough.”

Ball: “We’re very excited just to be able to have people come and sit in and to dine because I think that’s what everybody has been missing. I miss it. I’d like to go eat somewhere. “

The health directive says restaurants can seat up to half of their capacity, which means about 40 people for the Downtowner.