Social distancing? Young crowds flock to Five Points as restaurant restrictions relax
After weeks of being told to stay at home, people were eager to be outside again as the ban on outdoor dining was lifted on Monday.
Many Midlands businesses were busy as people sought to shake off the coronavirus blues. But in Five Points, the funky urban village near the University of South Carolina campus, popular spots for young folks such as Jake’s, Publico and Salty Nut had long lines waiting to get in Monday evening.
All three have expansive outdoor dining areas, which allowed them to take advantage of looser restrictions announced by Gov. Henry McMaster last Friday.
Photographs and media reports show the young people, presumably stuck indoors for weeks during McMaster’s stay-at-home order and a prior order from the city of Columbia, were taking full advantage. The lines to get in were long and those seen on social media were not always practicing social distancing.
And with Tuesday being Cinco de Mayo, those crowds could swell.
Mayor Steve Benjamin said the city will continue to “strongly encourage” citizens to practice social distancing until the state records a sustained 14-day decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
“We talk about ‘plateauing,’ but we’re not looking for a plateau, we’re looking for a deceleration, and I worry this is not the time” to begin reopening the city, Benjamin said.
“The data is not there to support the political and the policy decisions,” he said of the lifting of a statewide order prohibiting on-site dining. “I’m afraid it could come at the cost of health and lives.”
State Sen. Dick Harpooltian, who represents the area and lives in Wales Garden, a neighborhood near Five Points, said the congregation of young people bunching up waiting to get into bars and restaurants is disturbing.
“They are violating every rule and order that President (Donald) Trump and Gov. McMaster issued,” he said.
Columbia police patrolling the city will act to enforce social distancing guidelines when necessary, said spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons.
“Officers will self initiate when they see unsafe or non-compliance concerns such as crowds,” Timmons said. Police will also respond when they receive complaints.
Under local and state emergency orders, police are empowered to ticket and arrest people violating coronavirus restrictions, although the police department says it prefers to issue purely verbal warnings.
Columbia also remains under a nightly curfew, which means often late-night businesses in the city will still have to close and their patrons go home between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Harpootlian’s law firm has led the charge by some Five Points neighbors in challenging the liquor licenses of Five Points late-night bars that the neighbors say encourage unruly behavior. Those bars have minimal food service, many don’t open until 9.m. or 10 p.m., only open from Thursday through Saturday and cater, critics say, to underage customers.
Jake’s, Publico and Salty Nut, which open during the day and have expansive food service, are not part of those challenges. But Harpootlian said that bar and restaurant owners have a responsibility to enforce social distancing not only inside of their establishments, but in the lines outside.
On Monday, Columbia police had to step in to enforce social distancing, Harpootlian said.
“We’ve grown to expect that these kids will not act like adults,” he said. “Why are we having to use limited police resources” to enforce social distancing rules?
Jon Sears, owner of Jake’s, said a crowd gathered waiting for the restaurant to open at 4 p.m. Once the doors opened, and Columbia police asked those waiting for entrance after opening to distance themselves, the patrons did, Sears said.
“We had a good day yesterday,” he said.
He added that he was told by police the staff of a private business can’t enforce people’s behavior on a public street or sidewalk, and that Columbia police said they were prepared to issue tickets if congregations on the street continue.
City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann said he had spoken to the police and fire chiefs about the scene in Five Points, and was told all the businesses were in compliance with guidelines.
“Nobody anticipated people showing up at opening time like that,” Rickenmann said. “The businesses were a little overwhelmed. We’ll be monitoring it, and if it continues we’ll either have to tell them to close or give a warning and then go about enforcing it.”
But Rickenmann said he didn’t expect reopening Columbia to go smoothly. Businesses will have to rehire staff laid off during the lockdown and stock back up on inventory. “Some are starting over,” he said.
USC, the Palmetto State’s flagship university, has an enrollment of 35,000 students, 27,000 of whom are undergraduates. USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said about 10,000 to 11,000 of those students are still living in the area.
While younger people are considered the most tolerant of COVID-19 — most of the 283 deaths in South Carolina are the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions — they pose a danger to others, Harpootlian said.
“How many are going to go home this weekend and will be asymptomatic and give it to mom, dad and grandma?” he said.
Bob McCarthy, co-owner of Publico, said the Greene Street restaurant was overwhelmed by the crowd wanting to get in.
“I was surprised, to be honest with you,” he said.
Publico just opened the patio, and customers ordered food to-go for consumption on the deck. However, the business chose to close at 6 p.m. After Tuesday’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the restaurant will close for two weeks, McCarthy said.
“All throughout Five Points, everybody ran into the same situation,” he said. “We felt uncomfortable. We want to make sure we keep our employees safe and come up with a good plan. We appreciate the enthusiasm from people who want to get out, but we want to keep them safe and happy.”
The State has reached out to the Salty Nut.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
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