Summit County Public Health Director Amy Wineland signed an amendment to the county’s public order Thursday, Oct. 22, to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol at restaurants after 10 p.m.
Wineland informed county commissioners and the public about the amendment to the order at a Board of Health meeting Thursday. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, Wineland said.
With the order in place, restaurant staff will have to remove any remaining alcoholic drinks from tables at 10:01 p.m. Restaurants will continue to have to close at 11 p.m., a rule that the county has had in place since mid-July.
Wineland said the goal of the amended order is to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus by not allowing people to linger at restaurants late at night.
“I do think that this is one of the areas where we continue to see issues and cases rise — gatherings that involve alcohol,” Wineland said. “Sometimes, restaurants are turning into more of a bar scene after this time. So we really needed to address this one right away.”
The amended order also prevents after-hours consumption of alcohol by staff at restaurants, an activity that has led to a few outbreaks within local restaurants, County Manager Scott Vargo said.
“We really are trying to target the areas where we’re seeing the cases in whatever mitigation strategies we’re putting forward,” he said.
