Due to COVID-19 many aspects of our everyday lives have changed or been forced to adjust to live under this pandemic. Throughout the state of Ohio, efforts are constantly being made to prevent the spread while still enjoying the summer.
Governor DeWine has announced that local restaurants and bars may soon be able to serve drinks outside of their establishments. This push is due to the coronavirus and the fact that being outside has been dubbed safer than inside. This is to allow people to enjoy being on the patio’s and beyond versus risking heavy indoor interactions.
Behind the scenes, The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control has been working with local jurisdictions to allow restaurants and bars to extend their liquor licenses to include outdoor areas. These areas include parking lots and sidewalks adjacent to the restaurants.
“The purpose of bringing this up is the more we learn, we know that outside is better than inside,” DeWine said. “In fact, we know outside is a lot better than inside. The more bars and restaurants are able to spread out and keep social distance, it is a good thing,” the governor added.
DeWine is encouraging business owners to work on creative ways to expand their outdoor seating capacities so that everyone can be safe and stay socially distanced. As of now, more than 300 expansion requests have been granted.
The governor continues to enforce the reopening guidelines that were established in May. For those not ensuring they follow those guidelines, DeWine says, “we will be cracking down on those individuals.”
Source: NBC4i
Governor DeWine Expanding Liquor Licenses To Parking Lots & Sidewalks! was originally published on mycolumbuspower.com
