McMaster allows SC restaurants to reopen to outdoor dining amid coronavirus pandemic
If you want to sit at a restaurant table for a meal, you’ll be able to do that soon in South Carolina.
Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday issued an executive order that allows restaurants in the state to offer outdoor seating starting on Monday.
The South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association pushed for the move, saying it can be done with social distancing requirements in place.
The group also has asked the governor to allow indoor dining starting on May 18, giving restaurants time to rehire employees and order needed supplies and food. However, McMaster did not address that issue with Friday’s order.
He added decisions on when to allow indoor dining, and the operation of other businesses such as movie theaters, barber shops and salons “would come in due course” and will depend on residents’ compliance with social distancing measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus.
McMaster said he was not worried some restaurants may be put at a disadvantage because they don’t have outdoor space.
“This was the advice of the restaurant association,” McMaster said. “They carefully and meticulously and planned a variety of provisions to address every situation.”
Leaning on the Association’s recommendations, McMaster put in place the following guidelines for restaurants seeking to open up outdoor seating. They include:
▪ Spacing tables at least eight feet apart
▪ Limiting table groups to no more than eight people
▪ Eliminating gatherings in the building when entering or exiting outdoor seating areas
▪ Maintaining strict social and physical distancing guidelines, and
▪ Sanitizing tables, chairs and seats after every customer.
If a restaurant decides to use a temporary tent at its location, it must have a minimum ceiling of 7-and-half feet, and have a fire extinguisher within 75 feet.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control is providing guidance to all businesses on how best to operate to reduce the risk of exposure, said State Epidemiologist Linda Bell.
“We’re working closely with … business owners organizations that represent business associations to make sure they have the appropriate guidance for the appropriate spacing of tables they have recommendations about how their staff can provide services most safely to protect the employees and their patrons,” Bell said.
McMaster is seeking to lift restrictions, put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the state, to get the economy back up and running.
The announcement came along with McMaster lifting his mandatory work or home order, as well as lifting restrictions on people visiting South Carolina from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, so-called coronavirus “hot spots.”
On Friday, DHEC announced there were 160 more people in the state who had tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 6,258 in South Carolina.
State Epidemiologist Linda Bell would not comment on whether it is the right time to allow restaurants to have outdoor seating. She did say DHEC will monitor disease activity, adding she is seeing a flattening of the curve. She said people need to continue to use social distancing measures such as avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks.
“Those practices are what will frame what that curve looks like,” Bell said.
McMaster’s move on Friday drew mixed reaction from around the state.
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, who issued a local stay-home order before the governor’s office, was skeptical of the governor’s move and encouraged people to continue to follow public health advice driven by data.
“When we see a true deceleration in the number of new cases over 14 days, it will then be clear that we’ve got our arms around this phase of the virus and should only then ease restrictions,” Benjamin said in a text message to the State. “Until then a serious and aggressive effort around testing and contact tracing should consume our efforts.”
Ted Pitts, the CEO of the SC Chamber of Commerce, praised McMaster’s decision.
“It is time to get SC safely back to work and put our economy back on track,” Pitts said in an emailed statement. “While we need for vulnerable populations to take the appropriate precautions and for everyone to use common sense, the business community is supportive of the Governor’s decision to get started gradually reopening our economy.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 4:22 PM.
