Are you serious about reopening the NC economy, Republicans? Then act like it.

North Carolina Republicans have made a great show of concern for businesses affected by COVID-19 and Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home restrictions. Most recently, their businesses of choice were N.C. bars, which remain closed in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening. “We have a chance to provide an economic ventilator,” one Republican, Sen. Rick Gunn of Alamance County, said last week about bar owners.

But those owners should be wary of the Republicans who have suddenly befriended them. Earlier this month, Republican leaders pulled a measure from a COVID-19 relief bill that would have allowed bars at least some revenue from selling mixed alcohol drinks for takeout and delivery. Then, late last week, Republicans played games with the future of bars by passing a bill they knew would likely get vetoed.

HB 536, which passed both the House and Senate, would allow N.C. bars to open outdoors on a patio or under a tent or awning. Bars would be limited to serving 100 people or 50% of the bar’s outdoor capacity, whichever is less, and the bill also would give partially reopened restaurants and breweries a similar outdoor option.

On its surface, the bill makes some sense. Science is now pointing to a lesser chance of COVID-19 being transmitted outdoors than indoors, and there’s a legitimate case to be made that bars could operate safely with outdoor seating.

Unfortunately, HB 536 didn’t stop there. Republicans laced the bill with extra language that essentially would exempt HB 536’s beneficiaries from any current or future order from the governor or local governments. (For good measure, the bill also tells cities and counties that if outdoor bar or restaurant seating violates any local zoning measures, too bad.)

The governor, quite justifiably, was never going to be on board and said as much. Democrats, some of whom initially supported HB 536, quickly realized that it was a bill that begged for a veto. But Republicans plowed ahead anyway.

That way, they can continue to point to Cooper as anti-economy, and they also can make the same claim of Democrats in tight House and Senate races this fall. It’s possible that some House or Senate Democrats will fall for that and vote to override Cooper’s inevitable veto this week. But even in the likelihood they don’t, Republicans have themselves a campaign card to play.

What they don’t have, however, is a measure that might actually help the businesses they claim they want to save. Instead, Republicans are wasting precious time that bar and restaurant owners can’t afford.

If Republicans truly wanted to rescue bar owners, they would sit with Democrats and craft a bill based on science that didn’t neuter the governor’s power in an emergency. If Republicans truly wanted to help the NC economy rev again, they wouldn’t spend their time encouraging counties and business operators to violate the governor’s order or complaining about what the governor hasn’t yet opened.

Instead, they could be smart about the fundamentals of COVID-19 and realize that the fastest way to a successful and sustained reopening is with smart measures and safe behavior. The economy will start to hum only when people are comfortable enough to shop and dine, and people will become comfortable enough only when COVID-19 significantly improves. That won’t happen if North Carolinians aren’t doing things like wearing masks and social distancing.

That’s why more Republican leaders nationally - including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell - are encouraging people to be smart about face coverings and other behavior. NC Republicans should do the same, and they should work with Democrats to craft responsible, science-based measures to help businesses open again. They’re already close with HB 536 and the bars they say they want to help. Try again.

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 8:28 AM.