New health ordinance says restaurants and bars can resume normal business hours

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Bars and restaurants in Boone County will no longer have to close early from Thursday.

The Columbia / Boone County Department of Health and Human Services issued an amended coronavirus health order Monday that removes the requirement that restaurants serving alcohol and bars close early. The amended order also increased the limit for events from 20 to 50 people and increased the attendance of the event to 50% of the capacity of the venue or 200 people.

The order expires on March 24.

Browning said in a news release announcing the amended order that Boone County is still seeing a decrease in the number of COVID-19 infections, and the five-day average number of new cases has dropped significantly. The average was Sunday 17 – a 68% drop since February 7th.

“We continue to hope that infections will continue to decrease with the changes to the Health Order, but it is important for our community to continue with the COVID protocols – social distance, masking and hand washing – which have proven to be effective in spreading of COVID-19, ‘Browning said.

Changes to the order include:

• All gatherings or gathering places are limited to 50 people, both public and private gatherings, unless otherwise specified in the Order. Social waiver requirements and / or face mask requirements must be met.
• Restaurants, bars and entertainment venues may resume normal business hours, subject to the operating requirements set out in the order. (Closing time was midnight in the previous order.)
• Bar service and buffet service are allowed with social distance and mask requirements. Visitors should wear masks if they are not sitting. Bar and buffet service was prohibited in previous orders.
• Entertainment facilities are limited to 200 individuals and must approve an surgery plan by the health director. The previous order set the limit at 100.
• The capacity at children’s entertainment facilities and booths will be limited to 100 children, with the total capacity limited to 200 individuals. An operating plan is required. The previous order listed 50 children and 100 individuals in total.
• Indoor sports are limited to 50% of their spectator capacity or 100 people. Outdoor sports are limited to 50% or 200 people.
• Social distance is necessary for personal care services. Businesses must meet mask requirements, unless it is necessary to provide services for which social distance or mask is not possible.

The health department said updated business and sports guidance would be released by the end of the week.

Sara Humm at the health department said the numbers like active cases look very good at lifting restrictions and that it has remained low for a considerable time.

“We’ve had a pretty rough fall. November has seen some very high numbers, but since the end of December or so we’ve seen a lot of positive numbers, which is very encouraging,” she said.

She also said that hospitals were doing well and that contact persons could keep up with the workload, something they could not do during the pandemic.

With the new capacity constraints, Humm said it would be even more important for people to wear masks and social distances, as the data show that these are important factors in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Humm said Department of Health and Director Stephanie Browning had discussions with local business owners to hear their concerns and thoughts on the local restrictions.

“It’s also part of what’s being considered, how can we make sure we support our local businesses, while also taking the necessary steps to keep our community safe,” she said.

Jame Kanne owns 9th Street Public House in downtown Columbia. He previously said that increased hours would benefit local businesses, especially pubs and restaurants.

“I would say the midnight, which was a gift we did not expect, changed the game overnight to the point where I would say we almost doubled the sales,” he said.

He said the extra time would enable businesses to decide whether to stay open later and give them the opportunity to make more money.

He said businesses like pubs should keep telling people to wear their masks and follow guidelines as they stay open later.

Kanne said he is happy that bar services can resume, and he believes customers will be happy too.

“That’s what we do. We want people to sit at the bar. That’s why we built it,” he said.

Kanne said he expects to see more entertainment in Columbia when the changes take effect. He said some places that were closed might reopen because the weakening restrictions would allow them to do in some capacities what they did before the pandemic.

Kanne said his staff have yet to discuss what they will change under the new order.

“Anything we have a chance, benefit, to do better is worth adjusting. It gives us the opportunity to hire employees, more shifts, more hours to our current employees, things like that. add, “he said.