North Carolina bars reopen for the first time in 11 months

NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY) — For the first time in nearly a year, North Carolina bars are allowed to be open.

The Governor’s executive order prohibiting guests inside barrooms ended at 5 p.m. Friday.

The North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association strongly encourages all bars to celebrate but to do it safely.

“Tonight bars will reopen their doors for the first time in 346 days,” said NCBATA President Zack Medford. “We’re going to show North Carolina that we can do it safely by strictly enforcing the governor’s mask mandate and through social distancing.”

In September, the association released health guidelines to ensure safe reopenings.

Under the new rules, private bars are limited to 30 percent occupancy. Restaurant bars and breweries — reopened since last May– are still afforded 50 percent occupancy.

“This is a huge night for us, but it also highlights the disparity between our small businesses and the 85 percent of the hospitality industry that received special privileges,” Medford said.  “Private bars are still being held to stricter standards than the rest of the alcohol industry. We should be allowed to open under the same terms as every other type of bar in the state.”

“However, tonight is a major step forward. We’re excited to quickly finish this journey and get our state through the pandemic and back to normal.”