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'It's Been A Major Rollercoaster': Business Owners React With Relief, Continued Worry As The State Lifts Stay-At-Home Orders

BURBANK (CBSLA) -- As people around Southern California have gotten their errands completed in creative ways since the pandemic shut down many indoor activities, announcements that some restrictions are now lifted came as exciting but surprising news for business owners.

Many clients at Dylan Keith Salon in Burbank have been due for a new style, cut or color as they waited for hair salons to reopen for business indoors.

As soon as Kristin Best, the owner of Dylan Keith Salon, got word that the state's stay-at-home orders were lifted on Monday, she made sure they were open and ready on Tuesday morning.

"I was so excited! It's been a major roller coaster but I try not to let anything in life get to me. I was very angry, especially when you own a salon and you're doing the protocol," Best said.

Best said she was determined to keep her 10-year-old salon afloat.

RELATED: Stay-At-Home Order Lifted Monday For Southern California

Although she is happy to now be open indoors with modifications, she is surprised about the timing.

"It's crazy that we're reopening right now because cases and everything and hospitals are crazy. We could've opened back then because the numbers were the same," Best said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the reopening is based on coronavirus numbers going down on future models they are tracking.

For most business owners, the cost of reopening and closing over and over again has been high -- emotionally and financially.

Best says she has spent about $90,000 paying rent and making modifications over the past year just to survive.

"I will not let this salon go because it's after my son that passed and my grandfather," Best said.

Other business owners echoed similar feelings to Best, saying that they're thrilled about orders being lifted after some back and forth.

Hunter Seide, the owner of Nomad Gym in Toluca Lake, says the gym has been holding group classes in their parking lot and restricting the size and types of activists they do since June. He's grateful he's been able to operate until now and is glad to hear the state is again letting counties in the purple tier to reopen. But he has reservations.

"We're going to take advantage of what we're allowed to do and do it how we know how to do it as safely as possible," Seide said.

"Do I think it's too soon? Probably. We're all a little confused, you know, deaths are at an all-time high right now, ICU capacity is very minimal in the area, so why now to be lifting these restrictions?"

Business owners tell CBS2/KCAL9 that they're constantly thinking about what will happen to their business in the coming weeks and months.

"Every day I come and open here, I think of that possibility that we'll be fully shut down," Seide said. "I think we need to be patient, diligent and persistent in our practices of caution and care."

The stay-at-home order was lifted for the regions of Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area, which means that outdoor dining could resume and hair and nail salons could reopen in Southern California if individual counties allow it.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the county will come into alignment with state restrictions now that the COVID-19 stay-at-home order has been lifted, including a resumption of outdoor dining by the end of the week.

Certain youth sports will also be allowed to resume competition.

All counties will return to using the color-coded tier system, the California Department of Public Health said.

The 11 counties in the Southern California region are Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Mono,  Imperial and Inyo.

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