Dining out? You won’t see the health director or Charlotte’s mayor in restaurants this weekend
Three of Charlotte’s most visible leaders say they won’t be joining crowds competing for a table in Charlotte’s restaurants this weekend.
Across the state, businesses entered phase two of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan at 5 p.m. Friday. The modified phase two will allow restaurants, salons and swimming pools to open with 50% capacity. But bars, gyms and indoor entertainment facilities must remain closed under the state’s order.
In a Friday news conference, Mecklenburg County manager Dena Diorio and county public health Director Gibbie Harris said they have no plans to eat out this weekend.
“I am comfortable grilling at home for the holiday weekend,” Harris said Friday.
Harris said she has spoken with a number of restaurant and business owners about their safety plans ahead of reopening.
She also said she is not “apprehensive” about eating inside a restaurant later but added that she typically doesn’t go out to eat much, even prior to coronavirus concerns.
But a haircut could be higher on her list.
“That needs to be done badly,” Harris said.
And she said she’s already spoken with her hairdresser about the safeguards put in place for clients.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will not be getting her haircut just yet, because her stylist isn’t ready to open, city spokesman Jeremy Mills said.
Lyles plans to get takeout and spend time with family, who she hasn’t seen during the pandemic. She doesn’t plan to go to a restaurant this weekend, according to Mills.
“She’s been taking the quarantine very seriously,” Mills said.
Diorio said she would not be worried to eat at reopened restaurants. But said she’s not planning to do so over Memorial Day weekend.
“I don’t have any plans to go to a restaurant this weekend, but I am certainly comfortable doing so,” Diorio said.
Earlier this month when additional retail stores and malls began reopening under looser Phase 1 stay-at-home restrictions, Diorio said she went shopping. Diorio told a Mecklenburg County business roundtable she visited SouthPark mall during the first weekend of phase one reopening and bought new golf clubs.
Since North Carolina entered phase one of Cooper’s plan to reopen the state’s economy, Mecklenburg County has seen a decrease in social distancing, and a slight increase in hospitalizations.
“Any uptick is cause for concern,” Harris said Friday. “…We’re going to be watching this data daily and very carefully so that we can respond appropriately if we see any significant increases.”
‘Be very vigilant’
The health director urged Mecklenburg residents to follow social distancing guidelines as North Carolina enters Phase 2 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s gradual plan to reopen the economy and lift the stay-at-home order.
Social distancing has been declining in recent weeks, Harris said.
“I want to reinforce the fact that we are now out of our stay-at-home order in the county, but not out of our need to be very vigilant about this pandemic,” Harris said. “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. This is for own safety and in our role of supporting healthy community norms.”
In this new phase, which will span through at least June 26, restaurants and personal care services, such as hair salons and barbershops, are allowed to open at limited capacity. But bars, night clubs, indoor fitness facilities, and indoor entertainment facilities including movie theaters and bowling alleys are still closed.
Outdoor gatherings can now have up to 25 people, though indoor gatherings remain capped at 10 people.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 5:22 PM.
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