PORTLAND, Ore. — At Gilda's in the Goose Hollow neighborhood, owner Marco Roberti was just starting to feel good again.
"Business was picking up and just like last time, we get shut down and it takes the wind out of the sails," Roberti said.
Roberti learned Tuesday that Multnomah and Clackamas counties, along with more than a dozen other counties, are moving back into the extreme risk level. This means no more indoor dining.
"I feel like a puppet on a string," Roberti said. "Restaurants are not super spreaders. Sanitation is ingrained in what we do. We have socially distanced tables. We sanitize chairs, seats, menus. People can't co-mingle."
Gov. Kate Brown did say she was expanding outdoor dining to help restaurant owners. While that does nothing for Roberti, it may do a little something for Colin Rath of Migration Brewing.
"I think we're still going to have the seating with our outdoor seating to not have to furlough anyone and be at a decent place there," Rath said.
Rath is relieved to be able to offer outdoor dining, but he calls Gov. Brown's announcement Tuesday insulting.
"One of the biggest parts for me is you see your IKEAs, your Targets, your Home Depots, these big box stores, multi-million dollar corporations, still rocking and rolling and having a lot of people in their doors," Rath said. "None of that is impacted. Just small businesses."
Just as frustrated as Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith. She calls Gov. Brown's handling of COVID-19 an abject failure.
"We know these are hard times," Smith said. "Businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy. Many wonder how they'll pay their bills or put food on the table and some of you are going back to the unemployment line. This is harming the mental health of adults and children alike."
"We'll have to bench probably 90% of the people," added Roberti.
As dismayed as Roberti is about having to let some of his staff go, he is equally eager to put the pandemic behind us once and for all.
"Everyone is happy when they come out to eat," he said. "It's been a nice experience feeling human again, being around people."
Gov. Brown is working with state lawmakers to approve a $20 million emergency relief package to immediately support business owners in extreme risk counties.