The city of Newark is reopenings its business districts slowly following the COVID-19 pandemic. But Mayor Ras Baraka says that there will be some extra steps involved before business owners can reopen.

“Monday was a game-changer. It was kind of a release valve from all the pressure,” says business owner Christine Noh.

Noh owns the clothing store Nohble. She was able to reopen on Monday, but not before going through Newark’s reopening application and inspection process.

“Here in Newark, businesses can reopen and we are following the governor’s executive orders. But we want our business and residents to know how safe they are,” says Newark Economic and Housing Development director Allison Ladd.

All nonessential businesses in Newark must submit a reopening plan, have that plan approved and then go through an inspection before they can reopen.

“The plans are reviewed against a scoring rubric and that ensures safety measures, PPEs and social distancing,” says Ladd.

Once a business passes inspection, it will be given a red, yellow or green certificate, which must be hung up at the entrance. Red for high-risk of exposure business, yellow for medium and green for low-risk. City leaders say that the goal is to make sure customers have enough information to know if they want to shop at the establishment.

Nohble received a green certificate for the steps it has taken to ensure safety – including taking temperatures of all customers and staff.

Mayor Baraka says that residents should avoid stores that have not been inspected before they reopen. The city has received about 800 applications for reopening – so far 600 have been approved.