Bar seating allowed in Virginia again, update gets support from industry
(The Center Square) – Virginia bars and restaurants will now be allowed to seat patrons in bar areas as long as social distancing is maintained between groups of people, per an update Gov. Ralph Northam made in an executive order.
The order ends a restriction that has been in place since the early months of the pandemic. The social distancing requirements will be the same as it is for dining tables – 6 feet between parties.
“We’re very pleased with [this update],” the director of government affairs at the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, told The Center Square.
With the industry still trying to recover financially from the pandemic and the subsequent economic restrictions, Melvin said the update will be helpful to the businesses and bartenders.
Earlier this week, Northam said he might make some changes to the state’s COVID-19 restrictions starting next week. More than 40% of the state has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Melvin said the governor should consider a change to social gathering limits, to treat business and education gatherings as a distinct category. He said the capacity restrictions should be loosened for those types of events, which would be helpful to those institutions and to hotels, which often host these types of events.
The association is also in talks with the administration and health officials about possible changes to the social distancing requirements, such as allowing businesses to set up plexiglass between booths, rather than force them to leave seats empty to adhere to social distancing rules.
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