Allowing people to bring drinks home, the order states, would help reduce the number of people gathering in bars and restaurants and allow the businesses to increase their revenues.
“This injunction will help people avoid institutions that could contribute to increased viral spread, while providing restaurants and bars with the financial boost they need now,” Government Cooper said in a written statement. “With cases and hospitalizations across the country, let’s all do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 while safely supporting local small businesses.”
And although Cooper’s current executive order ends at 9 p.m. on-site alcohol sales, the order allows companies to continue to sell alcohol until the time determined by the laws of the county and state.
For example, if the law stipulates that the sale of alcoholic beverages ends at 2 a.m., an authorized vendor can sell a mixed drink for delivery or consumption outside the store until the establishment closes, and no later than 2 a.m. night, “is the order.
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The order also allows the mixed drinks to be delivered, either by restaurant employees or a third-party delivery service, but the delivery person must be over the age of 21 and only one drink per person can be ordered for delivery. Deliveries are not allowed in the halls of the university residence or in places where the sale or possession of alcohol is not approved.
The order will take effect Monday evening at 5 p.m. and will expire on January 31, 2021.
Triangle restaurant owner Gaurav G Patel, president of Eschelon Experiences, said the order could be a huge help to the industry.
“I feel like it will be useful. Obviously every little bit helps, especially when it comes to the bar,” said Patel. “There are definitely some nuances in there that, you know, if you read it carefully and pay attention, that can really help the restaurant and bar industry for the next 60 days.”
As of August, at least 33 states and the District of Columbia allowed temporary cocktails during the pandemic. Only two – Florida and Mississippi – allowed them on a limited basis before the coronavirus hit, according to the United States Distilled Spirits Council.
Struggling restaurants across the country have said it is a lifeline, allowing them to re-hire bartenders, pay rent, and mend relationships with customers.
The restaurant industry in the US has permanently lost more than 110,000 dining and drinking establishments.
According to a survey by the National Restaurant Association, on Dec.2, 17 percent of establishments in the industry were either permanently closed or closed for long periods.
The U.S. government has not released preliminary data on drunk driving for 2020. But Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said there is no anecdotal evidence that drunk driving has increased during the pandemic.
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