SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A stroll down San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter Friday night made it feel as though the pandemic had disappeared from memory.
The unmasked, tight-knit crowds outside the "Whiskey Girl" raised concern, even for those running the bar.
“We saw the pictures and so we had to react,” said General Manager Reginald Velasco.
Velasco said those six-foot floor stickers weren't enough. They had to use security, cones, and tape to block people off.
“So people see things you know, some people are very visual, they need dividers you know - can you please back up a little bit,” he said.
Surveillance images later captured socially distanced groups and tables from the inside and out. It was an improvement county officials were quick to point out in their press briefing Monday.
“Things were much better,” said County Health Officer Wilma Wooten.
In Little Italy, the next day, patrons dined in open streets.
“Streets were opened up so businesses can open into streets,” said Wooten.
Restaurants used barricades and tape to control crowds but it still wasn’t enough for everyone.
“I think it's moronic to see everyone out and about. It gives me so much anxiety,” one man said as he grabbed takeout in the Gaslamp Monday.
“We've kind of avoided everything around here,” said a mom strolling with her young daughter.
Officials acknowledge there are bad actors not wearing masks or keeping a distance. In fact, San Diego police have recorded several hundred violations at businesses since the health order took effect, but the department said they're not actively enforcing health orders like large cities such as New York.
“We don't want the same plight of these others states,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
Instead, San Diego is relying on what officials call "voluntary compliance" - a sort of self-policing.
“We have to adjust,” said Wooten.
Last month it appeared there was zero tolerance for rule-breakers after the county shut down the popular Pacific Beach sports bar and restaurant El Prez after images surfaced of large crowds.
Now businesses said it's a work in progress.
“Things are improving every day, and in the end, we're just trying to get back to better," said Velasco.