Local News

'Obey the rules. It's not that difficult,' Raleigh mayor says as bars reopen

As bars across North Carolina welcomed customers back inside Friday for the first time in 11 months, authorities were on the lookout for any violations of the state's latest pandemic rules.

Posted Updated

By
Joe Fisher
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — As bars across North Carolina welcomed customers back inside Friday for the first time in 11 months, authorities were on the lookout for any violations of the state's latest pandemic rules.
Under new restrictions announced Wednesday by Gov. Roy Cooper, bars could serve people indoors as long as they remained at 30 percent capacity or 250 people, whichever is less. Customers and staff must wear masks unless they're eating or drinking, and tables must be configured so they're at least 6 feet apart.

Cooper also lifted a nightly 10 p.m. curfew and pushed back last call for serving drinks for on-site consumption by two hours, to 11 p.m.

Bars were closed completely for months until Cooper allowed some limited outdoor service last fall.

Parliament, in Raleigh's Glenwood South district, didn't have enough outdoor seating to take advantage of that, manager Adam Heidrick said, so it just shut down a second time.

"The last thing we had was Christmas decorations up," Heidrick said.

With the 30 percent capacity rule, only 13 customers will be allowed inside at a time, he said.

"It’s definitely a step in the right direction – 13 is better than zero. At this point, we’re trying to play catch up," he said.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said bar owners need to stick to the rules to reduce the potential for another surge in coronavirus cases that could force the state to close bars again.

"One of the things I try to impress upon the owners [is] control your occupancy. That is going to be really important," Baldwin said. "They can’t control what happens on the street. That’s been where some of the optics get really bad."

Last summer, after Cooper allowed restaurants to reopen at 50 percent capacity, crowds packed Glenwood South. People without masks could be seen congregating on sidewalks and in the doorways of restaurants.
That prompted Baldwin to push for a mask mandate in Raleigh. A statewide mask mandate was enacted in July and remains in place.

"If the optics are really bad, the governor’s office is right down the road," Baldwin said. "Please don’t mess this up. That’s the message for people who are coming out on the streets. Wear your mask. Obey the rules. It’s not that difficult."

Bar owners have flooded the city's Office of Emergency Management and Special Events with questions about the new rules, the mayor said.

“I definitely think the business has a responsibility to at least make its best attempt to keep people at a social distance," Heidrick said. "[But] you can’t force people to be 6 feet apart all the time."

Raleigh police and city staff have been in contact with nearly 300 businesses since last summer to explain rules on masks, physical distancing and occupancy limits.

"Our goals include monitoring business compliance with current executive orders, educating first and foremost, and taking enforcement actions for the most egregious violations when necessary," Raleigh police spokeswoman Donna-maria Harris said in an email to WRAL News.

Police have issued only five citations for violations, all of them bars, she said. Three of those were this month.

“What I have talked to [owners] about is to control what is in your control," Baldwin said. "You don’t want to ruin this for everybody."

Heidrick agreed.

"I think people are going to enjoy being able to come back out," he said. "The last thing we want to do is to take a step backward."

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.