As the city of Irvine looks to celebrate another Fourth of July weekend, it mostly will do so from the outside looking in. But that seems to have been the plan all along.

As COVID-19 continues to spike in parts of the state, Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered certain businesses to close immediately to help mitigate the spread.

In a thread of tweets Wednesday, July 1, The city of Irvine detailed exactly what city sectors needed to shutdown — and what could remain open with outdoor modifications.

While all bars in the city must close down, Irvine has been prepared to shift to outdoor modifications since early May.

Community Development Director Pete Carmichael introduced the city’s plan for Extended Outdoor Dining during a May 12 City Council meeting.

The plan became implemented within the state’s reopening guidelines, and included an expedited permitting process.

Irvine is now peppered with locations offering extended outdoor dining. Currently, the city has a dozen different centers or plazas with restaurants and breweries offering open air or extended outdoor dining.

Earlier this week, Gov. Newsom said he was closing bars in Los Angeles and asking several other counties to place their reopening on a “dimmer switch,” due to increases in COVID-19 cases across the state.

As of July 2, Newsom officially pulled the state’s dimmer switch, by ordering “indoor operations” at bars, restaurants, museums, as well as movie theaters and casinos in 19 counties across the state, to halt for at least three weeks.

Prior to Newsom’s press conference Wednesday July 1, Orange County’s acting Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau issued a similar order. Chau directive said Orange County bars “and establishments that do not offer sit-down, dine-in meals shall close,” until directed otherwise.

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