PROVIDENCE – Restaurants that have been required to close early for more than two months because of the ongoing pandemic will be freed of that state requirement starting Sunday.
The R.I. Department of Health announced it would drop that restriction, in a news conference Thursday. The relaxation comes even as state health officials say they are worried about a more contagious variant of the virus that has been detected in neighboring states, including Massachusetts.
But mindful of the financial impacts of business restrictions, the state is looking for ways to ease the burden on the economy, said R.I. Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott.
The early closure requirement, set in place in early November 2020, had forced restaurants to close at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 p.m. on weekends.
Those restrictions on hours will be removed on Sunday, she said. Restaurants will still have to follow other pandemic rules, she said, including having no seating at the bar area and having only one family seated per-table.
“We hope this will provide business owners with some flexibility and relief,” she said.
Following her statements, R.I. Commerce Secretary, Stefan Pryor was asked why not an immediate reopening, in the question-and-answer period with reporters.
“This is forward progress,” he said. “We are moving in the right direction for more commercial activity.”
Dale J. Venturini, the CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, said in a brief statement she was pleased at the ending of the restaurant curfew.
“While we continue to work on eliminating bar-seating restrictions, this is an important step forward in helping our industry recover,” she said.
A bar manager echoed her comments. Jenny Meyer, a manager at Red Stripe, in Providence, said the restaurant had been able to do fairly well through the past several months by switching to more takeout. Most diners have finished their dinners by 10 p.m., she noted. Without a bar, people aren’t staying after dinner hours, and they do miss that.
“People want the bar seating back,” she said.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
