Raleigh, NC – Government Roy Cooper signed an executive order on Monday to allow restaurants and bars to sell mixed drinks for takeout and delivery to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“This order will help people avoid situations that could contribute to greater viral spread, while giving restaurants and bars the financial boost they need now,” Cooper said in a statement. “With cases and hospitalizations across the country, let’s all do our best. Part to slow the spread of COVID-19 while safely supporting local small businesses.”
The injunction directs the state commission on alcoholic beverages control to waive state regulations that would prevent people from getting a mixed drink in a sealed container as takeout order or that employees and contractors, such as food delivery services, provide such alcoholic beverages to customers in sealed containers.
Another executive order requires restaurants and bars to stop selling alcohol for on-site consumption at 9 p.m., and they and most other retail outlets must close under a curfew at 10 p.m. The idea is to discourage people from hanging around late into the night and potentially spreading the virus.
Restaurants can continue to fill out takeout and delivery orders after 10pm, and people are allowed to go outside to get food during curfew.
“[E]finalizing the sale of mixed drinks for off-site consumption … will provide an additional source of income for restaurants and bars in the state, which could offset any drop in sales that may be caused by the reduced occupancy limits and restricted opening hours for these branches, ‘Cooper writes in the new order.
Drinks to go would also reduce personal interactions in restaurants and bars, said the governor and director of state health, Dr. Betsey Tilson, both.
“In light of the risks of transmission posed by the sustained, maskless interactions inherent in indoor eating and drinking in restaurants, bars and similar establishments, it encourages delivery (and take away) as an alternative to eating and drinking indoors for the greatest extent possible can reduce the risk of viral spread, ”Tilson wrote in a letter to the Council of State.
The Council of State is made up of 10 statewide elected officers, headed by the governor. The council disagreed with many of Cooper’s actions during the pandemic, particularly orders that shut down large swaths of the economy, but they did agree with the idea of a drink to go.
State health officials have been advocating for people in recent weeks to celebrate the holidays at home and avoid traveling or getting together with someone outside their household as coronavirus infections and hospitalizations hit record levels in North Carolina.
“New Years Eve and the winter holidays have traditionally been times when people often go to bars to celebrate,” says Cooper. “[D]During the pandemic, public health will benefit if it is easier for people to drink and party at home, reducing the number of people gathering in bars, restaurants, hotels, private clubs and distilleries. “
Lynn Minges, president and chief executive of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, said 30 other states already allow mixed drinks.
“This alone won’t save restaurants and bars, but we think it’s an important part of the puzzle, just one more way we can try to generate revenue and sustain businesses during the tough winter months,” Minges said.
Jason Smith, the owner of 18 Restaurant Group in Raleigh, called the move “a great lifeline.” Alcohol sales account for about a third of his revenue, he said.
“Right now it’s all about small wins,” he said. “There will be no home runs and grand slams in my industry. If I can only get one small win and build on that, then that has been my goal throughout this whole thing.”
The to-go drink plan is limited to one drink per person per order, and everyone participating in the order must be present to accept delivery. Orders cannot be taken or delivered after the time the restaurant or bar normally stops sales under local law. Also, no orders are allowed in college campus residence halls or in communities where the sale of alcohol is prohibited.
The drinks do not have to be part of a collection or delivery order.
Delivery drivers must be at least 21 years old and undergo training before delivering on-the-go drinks. They will be responsible for verifying the identity and age of everyone who gets a drink and determining if someone is too drunk to have a drink, according to the order, in effect until the end of January.
PolitiFactNC reporter Paul Specht contributed to this report.