California wine tasting rooms, hotels welcome back tourists

SAN DIEGO (AP) — California wineries started uncorking their bottles and welcoming people back to their tasting rooms Friday as the state's $145 billion tourism industry gears up with hotels, zoos, museums and aquariums also allowed to reopen.

With COVID-19 cases in the state still growing, the tourism industry is trying to balance how to implement safety measures to control a pandemic without ruining the fun.

Hotels will limit people lounging by pools and nix breakfast buffets for now. There will be no double-decker safari buses packed with tourists rolling through the San Diego Zoo, nor animal shows that draw crowds.

The zoo instead is using its buses to hold moving shows that will glide past people standing on green circles to keep them six feet apart. Every visitor over the age of two will be required to wear face coverings.

Wine tasting rooms also are encouraging masks and making room for physical distancing. Many are requiring appointments for tastings.

Gavin Newsom was the nation's first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19. He gradually started lifting the orders in May, allowing retail stores and restaurants to reopen. He soon added churches and hair salons with restrictions.

Stay-at-home orders are estimated to have cost the state economy $72 billion in revenue from tourism and more than 600,000 hospitality jobs, according to Visit California, the state’s tourism marketing organization.

The list of businesses cleared to open Friday is the most expansive yet, though counties have the ultimate say on which stores and services can open their doors.

Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 in the state are still climbing. California on Thursday reported 139,281 cases and 4,881 deaths. The state's daily average of new cases is up by more than 600...