Charlotte’s nightlife scene is bustling — and COVID-19 cases are on the rise.
The number of coronavirus cases are on the rise in Mecklenburg County. But from recent videos and images of Charlotte’s nightlife, brewery and bar scene, you wouldn’t know it. Posts circulating on social media depict crowded Charlotte venues with limited social distancing or facial coverings.
The increases in cases across the state cannot be attributed to increased testing alone, NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said at a press conference on Thursday.
“As we dig into our data, we’re seeing that recent increases in our cases are really being driven by younger folks, people ages 25 to 49,” Cohen said. “And while younger people are at lower risk for severe COVID-19 disease, they still can spread it to others who are at higher risk.”
People who have recently dined at crowded restaurants and breweries in the Charlotte area should get tested for the coronavirus, Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told reporters Friday. Harris said she has seen pictures of local restaurants that fit that criteria, including photos showing people who aren’t wearing masks or cloth face coverings.
As quarantine-fatigued Charlotteans start heading out more, many are not wearing masks. Crowds of people may seem like a good thing to a local business that has struggled through stay-at-home phases. However, a lot of people at one place can inadvertently overwhelm local businesses, whose owners are already dealing with limited seating and time-consuming cleaning measures.
Who is allowed to be open?
North Carolina is under Phase 2 of its reopening plans, which allows limited occupancy for restaurants but prohibits bars from opening. Phase 2 is currently set to expire next Friday, June 26.
Under Phase 2, restaurants are permitted to be open, with strict guidelines for occupancy. Requirements include:
Operate at 50% dine-in capacity;
Ensure customers sitting at a table are six feet away from the next table;
Encourage face masks to be worn by employees and customers.
Breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries are able to operate under Phase 2. “This is because these entities are principally engaged in the business of producing alcoholic beverages for commercial sale off-premises,” according to a document with answers to frequently asked questions about Executive Order 141.
North Carolina’s breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries must follow the requirements for restaurants under the executive order.
Bars are not permitted to open under Phase 2, and Gov. Roy Cooper later vetoed a bill that would have permitted bars to reopen outdoors. Executive Order 141, which moved the state into Phase 2 of reopening, defines bars as “businesses that are principally engaged in the business of selling alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption.”
On Friday, Cooper’s lawyers defended that decision in court. People behave differently in bars than restaurants, the attorneys said. “It’s not just the facilities, it’s human behavior inside those facilities,” said senior deputy attorney Amar Majmundar, representing Cooper’s order. “Restaurants present a different environment.”
Packed bars and breweries
Even with these restrictions in place, Charlotteans are posting about bustling brewery and nightlife scenes across the city.
“Was at QC Pour House on Saturday and it was mobbed,” Twitter user Josh Gattis posted on June 4. “I’m glad places are starting to re-open again. The rules on gatherings made no sense. Supposed to keep gatherings under 10 but ‘restaurants’ were half capacity? Especially for breweries where people are outside 99% of the time, just let them open up and let the market work,” Gattis said later in the thread.
QC Pour House is taking precautions, including sanitizing the main order area, hand sanitizer stations and keeping tables six feet apart, owner Ashley Gasbarro wrote in an email to CharlotteFive. The team has also taken away board games and implemented additional cleaning procedures.
The restaurant keeps the capacity at 50% inside, “which is why on a weekend day or night you may see a line outside,” similar to other spots in South End, Gasbarro stated. QC Pour House is a neighborhood pub, which serves food and closes at midnight, which avoids a nightclub crowd, Gasbarro said.
Julie Eiselt, mayor pro tem on the Charlotte City Council, posted images to Twitter on May 30 of the scene in South End: “#SocialDistancing a thing of the past here in the #SouthEnd,” she tweeted.
Eiselt told CharlotteFive that she has seen a notable lack of social distancing in the South End and on Saturday nights. She said she often hears younger people say, “I’m not worried.”
“We just keep ignoring the fact that it really isn’t about you, it’s about other people who are vulnerable,” Eiselt said.
A video was posted on Twitter over the weekend that the poster said depicted a crowded scene at Explict Bistro and Lounge at the AvidXchange Music Factory. Explict Bistro and Lounge reopened May 29.
On Tuesday, June 16, the business posted a statement on Facebook expressing the difficulty of staying afloat during the pandemic and of implementing the regulations outlined in Phase 2. The statement said the establishment did not receive any financial support from the Small Business Association or any funding from government economic relief programs.
According to the statement, Explict Bistro and Lounge has added security measures, such as temperature checks, sanitation stations and new sanitary guidelines for patrons and staff.
“As we adjust to our ‘new norm’ and our recent unanticipated growth, we would like to ask for our patience and understanding as we work hard to insure (sic) we do our best to remain in compliance to all the new guidelines and restrictions that have been set forth,” Explict stated.
How can bars and nightclubs be open?
Phase 2 of North Carolina’s reopening plans clearly states that bars are not allowed to be open, leading to confusion about how some of these nightlife spots are able to operate. The answer may lie in the vague distinction between bar and restaurant. Food sales must make up at least 30 percent of the establishment’s revenue to be considered a restaurant, according to North Carolina law.
Explict Bistro and Lounge features a menu of starters, entrees and brunch selections. QC Pourhouse features shareables, salads, sandwiches and brunch offerings.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department did not cite any businesses the weekend of June 13 or violations of state restrictions, according to WBTV. Public gatherings greater than 10 people and stay-at-home order violations should be reported online or by calling 311, according to CMPD’s website.
Enforcement of the restrictions under Phase 2 are mostly left for businesses to self-police, WBTV reported.
After Twitter complaints about Ink N Ivy, the restaurant sent WBTV News a statement saying they were following the Phase 2, 50% capacity, which still allows for them to have roughly 400 people inside. They also said in the statement they blocked certain parts of the restaurant to encourage physical distance. “We encourage other restaurants to follow similar practices to limit the occupancy in these times to also maintain compliance as we have,” the restaurant stated.
“If you don’t see anything wrong with this picture then this post isn’t for you,” Buddy Bell posted on Instagram along with a photo showing several people socializing on Common Market’s patio in Plaza Midwood on May 25. “Go listen to Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones. Business as usual. [Expletive] mind blowing.”
‘Even though they say there are capacity limits, it didn’t really seem like it’
Charlottean Tavion Guilford told CharlotteFive he was driving past the South End area on June 13 and saw lines outside of businesses along the street with limited distance between patrons. Guilford estimated around 10% of people in line had masks on. “Even though they say there are capacity limits, it didn’t really seem like it from the street,” Guilford told CharlotteFive.
“They act like it’s a surprise that the [COVID-19 positive] numbers go back up, but I don’t know what they really expect when they let people back outside,” Guilford said. “There’s no vaccine, there’s no real solution.”
After the implementation of Phase 2, The Charlotte Observer reported an increase in hospitalizations, in the number of people infected and in the percent of people tested who are found to have the virus. While the number of cases is expected to increase as North Carolina increases its testing, the percent of positive test results out of total tests administered has also notably increased.
After the implementation of Phase 2, residents in Mecklenburg County are staying home less and going out into public more, according to The University of Maryland’s social distancing index.
The most effective solution to limit community spread of COVID-19 are facial coverings and social distancing, Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
“It’s a piece of protection ... an extra thing that you put on that keeps you healthy,” Cohen added. “And this piece of protection may even save your life or the lives of your loved ones. The evidence continues to mount up that this is the thing that we should do to slow the spread and get our economy going.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 3:29 PM.
