With certain businesses now allowed to reopen in Dallas County under certain restrictions, the general attitude from business owners is to take things slow.

Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce Director Deb Bengtson says the local business owners she’s spoken to each said they were caught by surprise by the Governor’s proclamation signed Thursday. Bengtson says many of them aren’t ready to open from a logistical standpoint, such as needing to recall employees. As a result, she believes most of them will likely wait until the end of next week to fully reopen their doors to the public, with some even indicating plans to wait until June to do so. A large contributor she says is space, considering some of the businesses with smaller square footage would only be welcoming a handful of patrons in order to reach half-capacity.

Bengtson says she’s been in frequent contact with the Adel Chamber membership throughout the pandemic, and will continue to do so during the city’s gradual reopening. She points out that each business has been affected differently, but believes they’re all going to come out okay in the end.