CLEARWATER, Fla. — The city of Clearwater is extending the closure of the 400 and 500 blocks of Cleveland Street in Downtown to continue to allow more socially-distanced outdoor dining.

Sarah Bellomy, co-owner of Downtown Pizza welcomes the closure and the extension.

"Because of COVID right now, a lot people aren’t as enticed to sit inside as they used to be so it definitely helps out to accommodate a lot more outdoor seating and social distancing too, because we can move the tables around," said Bellomy.

The City closed that portion of the street May 11 and expected to reopen it after the Labor Day holiday.

"We were looking for a way to help support our restaurants —  so how could we allow people to gather safely allowing the appropriate physical distancing in our downtown and we realized that through a temporary street closure we could achieve that goal,” said Amanda Thompson, Director of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency.

But the City has opted to extend the closure through January 14, 2021.

This will also allow residents and visitors to take part in upcoming holiday festivities without having to worry about traffic.

While it means a few detours for drivers, Bellomy said it's good for business.

"It creates more of an atmosphere, kids can come out, we put corn toss outside, they all play, we put games outside and it makes it more of a family environment and we do live music on the weekends,” said Bellomy.

City officials say downtown businesses are taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the road closure.

The Downtown Clearwater Merchants Association is coordinating a series of “downtown deals” in conjunction with the road closure along Cleveland Street, which will be open to all businesses throughout downtown. 

"By trying something new, that we can show the people of Tampa Bay that downtown Clearwater has a lot to offer in terms of dining and entertainment so we hope to attract their attention during this time," said Thompson.

Attracting attention is important when, Bellomy said, business is unpredictable from one day to the next.

"It’s great that they’re extending it, it’s a huge help and I’m hoping that permanently they’ll do it,” he said.

City officials said a work session with council will be held to discuss the possibility of a permanent closure.