ORLANDO, Fla. — Phase one reopening in Central Florida is now fully in effect, allowing gyms to reopen and restaurants and retailers to allow people inside buildings to up to 50 percent capacity.

The president of the Corona Cigar Company, Jeff Borysiewicz, said they’re following social distancing guidelines inside and are limiting seating inside to meet demands.

Since reopening two weeks ago, they’ve seen a return in customers and their regulars coming back as they seek a break from the coronavirus pandemic and a sense of community inside.

“We like all the employees here, it’s kind of like a family business. And it’s nice to have that place you enjoy, especially after being quarantined at home, to get back out and you feel inside; you feel like maybe something’s moving forward, and we’re going to get by this,” said Ray Coudriet of Orlando.

“It’s just nice being able to welcome people back and see the feedback we’ve been getting from people saying I’m so glad I’ve been able to come back, have a cocktail and a cigar, just get a little bit of normalcy going here,” Boysiewicz said.

Mail-order services and funding from the paycheck protection program helped get them through closures without any layoffs, but Borysiewicz said they and other businesses are still struggling to get back up on their feet.  He’s urging people to continue to support small businesses whenever possible.