Columbia nightlife will be slow to reopen with curfew lifted, business owners say
This weekend will be the first time in three months that residents of Columbia will be able to spend a night on the town. Whether they will have anywhere to do it is another question.
Columbia’s nightly 11 o’clock curfew, instituted during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in the state, expired on Tuesday when the city council opted not to renew the 60-day emergency ordinance.
That decision allows businesses to now operate later into the evening, when many in late-night hot spots like the Five Points district have been closing earlier than in the pre-coronavirus days.
But business owners who spoke to The State are still tentative about getting back to normal, meaning residents may still face limited options when they stay out late.
Marty Dreesen, the owner of Bar None on Harden Street in Five Points, said his establishment will remain closed for at least another week. Bar None had reopened just last week, but Dreesen and his employees decided to shut down again temporarily after the number of new COVID-19 cases spiked above 500 per day, a new record high for the state.
“We would open at 3, then I’d let the bartenders decide when they wanted to close,” Dreesen said of the short reopening. “It’s summer, so there weren’t that many students around.”
Lucky Hakim said he’s going to try to operate his bar, Lucky’s in Five Points, past 11 p.m. this weekend. But he’s limited his working staff to three employees, all masked, and will reduce capacity in the bar to create more social distancing. Each customer coming in will have their temperature taken by a non-contact thermometer, with any registering 99 degrees or above being turned away.
Hakim said he’s worried about the health effects of reopening, but “I’m worried if I cross the street, a car will hit me,” and he needs to get back in business for financial reasons.
He said Lucky’s is still recovering from the statewide mandated shutdown of dine-in services earlier this year. “If I close, at least seven people are going to lose their income,” Hakim said.
Kristian Niemi said he would reopen both his Main Street bar Bourbon and West Columbia restaurant Black Rooster next Monday, but would close both early for at least the first week or two.
“We’re just going to ease into it and see how things go the first week,” Niemi said.
For now, Niemi will close his kitchen at 10 p.m. and end bar service shortly thereafter, going no later than 11 p.m. on weekends.
The curfew was originally passed to encourage social distancing, even as orders from the governor closed or restricted the operation of many businesses, including bars and restaurants. When dine-in services were allowed to resume, some Columbia establishments had long lines forming outside as crowds rushed to get back to normal, prompting fears that customers were not committed to the precautions required to halt the spread of the virus.
With renewed focus on the rise in infections and hospitalizations, state health officials are warning South Carolinians to avoid “highly dangerous” behaviors. That could reduce the desire for late-night fun even where businesses do open back up.
For Dreesen, trying to curb the spread of the disease is still a cause worth pursuing.
“My employees are very socially conscious, and they didn’t really feel comfortable,” Dreesen said. “If somebody doesn’t die because I closed, it’s worth it.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 3:43 PM.
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