Bars excluded from Phase 2 reopening. When can they open?

As we move into Phase 2, it looks like it will be another five weeks for bars to officially reopen under the state's safety guidelines.

In a press release from the North Carolina Bar, Brewery & Nightclub Association, Bar and Tavern Owners Call on Governor Cooper for Equal-Treatment Executive Order 141:

"Bar and tavern owners across North Carolina were dismayed to learn at the eleventh hour that their small businesses must remain shut under Governor Roy Cooper’s newly announced Executive Order 141, which issued rules for Phase 2 openings during the coronavirus pandemic. Until Cooper’s announcement Wednesday, bars and taverns had been included under Phase 2 openings.

The executive order allows establishments to reopen if they generate at least 30 percent of their sales from food and non-alcoholic beverages. Bars, breweries, and taverns that do not meet that threshold must stay closed. The governor’s mandate allows bars within restaurants to open while stand-alone bars must stay closed.

In light of the unequal treatment of restaurant bars vs. stand-alones, bar and tavern owners have joined together to create the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association. Its mission is to advocate for issues specific to bars and taverns."

It also looks like they've hired a lawyer to help in their cause:

"The NCBATA has hired Raleigh lawyer Jack Cozort to serve as its government relations consultant. Cozort will work directly with the Governor’s Office, the state Department of Health and Human Services, and the North Carolina Legislature to lobby on behalf of bar and tavern owners across the state."

For more on this, check out this story in the News and Observer, click here!


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