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Residents, business owners see return to restaurants for outdoor dining in the Lehigh Valley

outdoor-dining
Photo | Todd Bookman / NPR

EASTON, Pa. - Cloudy skies didn’t stop people in Easton from taking a seat on centre square to enjoy lunch at the standard - like resident Christopher Lambert.

“Man, it’s beautiful to finally be outside and, you know, socialize and our brothers and sister and my brother said, is good for your mental health. Definitely need to, you know, step out of solitary confinement. That's how it feels, but I'm just grateful to be out here.”

Restaurant crews were busy setting up outside dining areas on the first day of reopening. Like Christian Duarte, owner of the Bayou.

“It is super exciting, but it's also super nerve-wracking. You know, getting accustomed to doing takeout business over the last three months. It has been exciting, you know, but it also raises its challenges.”

The city has set up barriers to block off parts of Northampton street for restaurant crowds while the county remains under yellow social distancing guidelines.