Upper Cumberland restaurants began to welcome back customers on Monday morning.
Elaine Heinz of Baxter said she hoped to find a sense of normalcy by going to lunch.
“It feels really good,” Heinz said. “It’s a little bit more of a routine, and it’s nice to be out of the house. At some point, you have to start living your life again.”
Erica Lowe of Cookeville felt the same.
“It’s really time we get back out and get back to normal,” Lowe said. “A lot of people are hurting right now, and we need to do what we can to help people get back to work.
Business at restaurants along Interstate Drive Monday morning was sluggish at the beginning of lunchtime, but by 12:30, more people were starting to arrive.
Heinz said she believed COVID-19 will still keep some people from leaving the house.
“I think it will,” Heinz said. “I think some people have been through a lot, and a lot of people are scared. It’s going to take some time, I think.”
Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that restaurants could reopen on Monday with restrictions, the first time dining rooms could open since March 30.
