The Louisiana Restaurant Association sees the state’s decision to wade into Phase 3 of its reopening plans as a positive step, though it expects some of the new rules may sow some confusion among the small businesses.
Gov. John Bel Edwards this past week said the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic would move to Phase 3, allowing certain establishments to increase occupancy during business hours and bars to reopen in parishes where the coronavirus positivity rate has been 5 percent or less for two weeks.
“When re-opened, bars will be able to open at 25 percent capacity, up to 50 people, indoors for customers seated for tableside service,” a news release from the Governor’s Office states. In addition, no more than 50 customers can be accommodated outdoors, and the sale of alcohol on the premises must end at 10 p.m., according to the governor’s order.
“The move to Phase 3 is a welcome one,” Stan Harris, the restaurant association’s president and CEO, told the Louisiana Record in an email. “However, the new restrictions imposed on alcohol sales in restaurants is perplexing. And while dining limits moved from 50 percent to 75 percent of occupancy capacity, the social distancing between seated tables remains identical to Phase 2, making this expansion of less value.”
While the Phase 3 order could allow some bars to open, its impact may be limited. An analysis of the Louisiana Department of Public Health’s website this week shows that only 11 out of the state’s 64 parishes had positivity rates of 5 percent or under for the past two weeks. These include Bienville, Acadia, St. James, Jefferson and Orleans parishes.
The limited number of parishes where bars can legally reopen means the ongoing federal litigation against Edwards’ coronavirus orders by bar owners is likely to continue.
“It is important to recognize the opportunities for bars to reopen should their parish meet the gating criteria is welcome and should allow these businesses to have a lifeline to save their business,” Harris said.
In his order, Edwards said that despite recent decreases in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state, Louisiana residents need to continue to wear masks and stay home if they have symptoms of having the virus.
“There are still some looming factors that could come to bear on the fragile gains that we have made, including students returning to schools at all levels, the outcome of the Labor Day weekend and displacement of thousands of residents by Hurricane Laura from an area that had among the highest case counts in the state,” Edwards said in a prepared statement.
The Phase 3 order will be in effect for 28 days, through Oct. 9, according to the Governor’s Office. It allows restaurants, places of worship, salons, gyms and many other businesses to operate at 75 percent of capacity, provided social-distancing measures are taken.