Health, safety and livelihoods

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many businesses, but perhaps none more so than the restaurant and bar industries. A balance must be struck between protecting public health and sympathy for small business, especially in the hospitality industry. So far, the right balance has not been found.

Two key principles should apply: The first is consistent policy. The second is consistent enforcement.

The state and county should not change the rules every week or every day.

The latest move by Allegheny County health officials to reverse an alarming spike in new coronavirus cases — a one-week mandatory closing of restaurants, bars and casinos — further complicates an already-murky future for many establishments.

More-stringent enforcement of the standards must be met if a restaurant or bar is to be open for business. Those establishments that are adhering to the rules — 50% capacity, 6-foot social distancing, masks to be worn by customers and employees, etc. — shouldn’t pay the price for those turning a blind eye to the restrictions.

The decision to close restaurants and bars for at least one week was one county health officials made reluctantly, but with cause. The county entered the state’s green phase for business reopenings on June 5, meaning restaurants, which had been closed for all but takeout service, could reopen with restrictions. But, over the last few weeks, news cases of COVID-19 have risen dramatically, reaching a record level of 233 new cases on July 2.

Health officials said the surging cases of the coronavirus can be traced back to young people packing bars, notably in the Oakland and South Side areas of the city.

The mandatory closings, if anything, are at least a better alternative than the piecemeal approach adopted earlier in the week when the county placed a ban on dine-in alcohol sales. That meant restaurants could remain open, but not serve alcohol — a significant revenue loss for many establishments. Trade association officials estimate alcohol sales could account for 15% to 20% of a restaurant’s revenue, but the profit margin could be anywhere from 30% to 75% on alcohol.

That kind of revenue loss is even harder to absorb when seating capacity has already been cut in half and came at a time when many restaurants were just starting to get back on their feet and adjust to the new normal created by the pandemic.

Now government was making it almost impossible to reopen.

Some restaurant and bar operators who gathered Thursday at the CityCounty Building to protest the ban on alcohol sales said closing restaurants was a better alternative than allowing them to reopen, then placing a ban on alcohol sales, and then closing them again.

There has to be a more rational, effective way to allow restaurants to operate — and survive — while still providing safety measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. Closing the bar area in a restaurant seems logical in that it would close off a gathering spot. But diners who are seated at a table for a meal, and seated a safe distance from other diners, should certainly be able to order an alcoholic drink or two that would be brought to the table. How would that be any different than ordering a soft drink or a cup of coffee?

If restaurants and bars are to survive, there needs to be not only clear guidelines, but consistent enforcement so that those that are adhering to the rules are not forced to close because of the carelessness of those ignoring them.

The last thing the county needs is a bunch of boarded-up restaurants that fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic.