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Tuesday marked the second day of the border’s eased restrictions on non-essential travel. And while more people are expected to cross to and from the border, local business owners tell NBC7 that there are still some hurdles to reaching the pedestrian traffic and car lines that we have seen in the past.
The border may be open for non-essential travel, but business owners don’t expect a rush of visitors right away. Concerns that the lines could get excruciatingly long may have deterred people from trying earlier in the week. San Ysidro business owners also said getting people to cross is more complicated than you might think.
El Rincon restaurant owner Edgar Alanis can’t wait to see his old customers again.
“People are ready to cross. People want to come here, spend their money here, ”said Alanis.
His business was busy Tuesday, but he attributes a lot of it to his focus on getting customers out of San Diego. People crossing from Tijuana to the US accounted for 40% of its business before the pandemic, he said.
“People in the Tijuana area who walk over here communicate with one another. So you know very well how long the line is. Is it worth it? “Said Alanis.
And that’s not the only factor that may keep business loose.
Christian Flores, an owner of Selena Salon Unisex, said it was complicated on the limit.
“People called me and said I want to go, but I don’t have my vaccine. Guess my visa is from 2021 or 2020,” said Flores.
Flores said many of its customers are dealing with expired visas, overcrowded consulates, or difficulty accessing the FDA-approved vaccines required to enter the United States
So Monday wasn’t much different for him.
“Maybe people are scared and they don’t have their visas right. So no, I honestly haven’t seen anything else. It was the same. Dark and lonely at six, ‘said Flores.
However, he is hopeful and believes that next summer could be when things get closest to pre-pandemic levels.
That’s Alanis.
“We are still open. We continue. We have high hopes that times will be shortened and that the border will remain open. So we’re still doing what we do here as a company in San Diego, ”said Alanis.
Doing business in the hope that pre-pandemic traffic will return.
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