Restaurants and Bars Across the U.S. Face Mandated Closures and Other Restrictions in Light of Coronavirus Pandemic

Crowds gather in Manhattan outside Comedy Cellar. Management of the club told Eater it turned many people away due to a reduced capacity mandate. | Gary He/Eater

Curfews, capacity caps, and outright shutdowns are in play

As the number of cases of the novel coronavirus continue to grow, states and municipalities across the U.S. are taking drastic measures to enforce social distancing — a step that’s imperative to slowing the virus’s spread — from curfews and reduced capacities to mandatory closures.

The governors of Illinois and Ohio have taken the most dramatic steps so far, ordering all bars and restaurants closed. Illinois’s mandatory closures begin Monday, March 16, while in Ohio, restaurants and bars in the state will be required to close dining rooms effective at 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. Carryout and delivery will continue to be permitted in both states. The mayor of Los Angeles also announced the closure of all bars in his city and is considering closing dine-in restaurants. Washington D.C.’s mayor ordered licensed nightclubs to shut down operations and asked all eating and drinking establishments to eliminate bar seating while the city works to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The city of Hoboken closed all bars and forced restaurants to transition to takeout-only, while enacting a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Boston bars and restaurants must close by 11 p.m. and operate at 50 percent capacity. And city officials in New York are calling on the mayor and governor to shut down New York City restaurants and bars and other nonessential businesses, saying that last week’s move to restrict businesses to 50 percent capacity wasn’t enough.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Sunday in an appearance on CNN that he wouldn’t rule out supporting a national lockdown on the country’s restaurants as a strategy to prevent wider spread. Spain and France closed down all restaurant and bar activities over the weekend to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Republic of Ireland closed down pubs.

The move towards closures highlights the importance of social distancing in fighting the global pandemic. By reducing contact and increasing distance between individuals, people can reduce the rate of transmission of the virus. If countries don’t succeed in “flattening the curve” (reducing the number of patients requiring treatment at a given time), the disease threatens to overwhelm hospitals with patients.

• Top Infectious Disease Expert Doesn’t Rule Out Supporting Temporary National Lockdown to Combat Coronavirus [CNN]
• Ohio Governor Orders All Bars and Restaurants Be Shut Down Amid Coronavirus Pandemic [WEWS News]
• All Coronavirus Coverage [E]

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