SLO County to stop alcohol sales at bars, restaurants ahead of St. Patrick’s Day
San Luis Obispo County will stop alcohol sales at bars starting at 5 p.m. Monday, according to the county Public Health Department.
According to a news release, county administrative officer and emergency services director Wade Horton has issued an executive order “to protect the public’s health” by temporarily limiting alcohol sales at alcohol-serving establishments from 5 p.m. Monday to 12:01 p.m. Wednesday.
This applies to both bars and restaurants, Horton said.
The announcement comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom advised all bars, wineries, night clubs and brew pubs to shut down, and all restaurants to reduce their occupancy by half.
“We need to take immediate action to slow the spread of the virus over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and to limit large gatherings in public serving spaces,” Horton said in the release.
The announcement comes on the same day the county confirmed the third local case of coronavirus.
The county Public Health Department held a press conference on the order to stop alcohol sales and the third confirmed case at 2 p.m. Monday.
“This is a major approach to slow the spread of the virus and protect those most vulnerable,” Horton said at the conference. “This decision was not taken lightly. We recognize the economic impact that this will have, but our goal is to take common sense measures in consultation with our public health officer to protect our community.”
“We are a strong and resilient community,” Horton added. “In working together, we can limit the spread of COVID-19.”
SLO County confirms COVID-19 cases
Also on Monday, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department confirmed the third case of coronavirus in the county.
The second case of local coronavirus was confirmed Sunday afternoon.
According to the Public Health Department, the individual is an adult under the age of 60 with significant underlying health conditions, who lives in South County. The positive test result was reported to Public Health by a private-sector laboratory that conducted the test for COVID-19.
The third confirmed case lives in the same home as the second patient, according to Public Health. Both are recovering in isolation at home and cooperating with the Public Health Department’s investigation.
“This is three of what I’ve said all along is going to be many,” Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said during Monday’s press conference. “The importance of this is that we need to recognize that this disease is spreading pretty much everywhere.”
Borenstein said Public Health is not releasing information on which cities the confirmed cases reside in, because of both patient privacy and the department’s preliminary investigations, which haven’t indicated a strong enough need to notify the public at large of the patient’s locations.
Borenstein also urged the public to “use common sense” when it comes to purchasing emergency supplies and to not hoard essentials.
“This is not the apocalypse,” she said. “We will get through this.”
Closure could ‘bankrupt me,’ McCarthy’s pub owner says
On Sunday, Newsom asked that bars and other establishments that serve alcohol close amid the coronavirus outbreak in California, an escalation of the COVID-19 response that will substantially impact businesses in San Luis Obispo County and elsewhere across the state.
Newsom also called for restaurants to reduce their occupancy by half to enact “deep social distancing” and a “pragmatic response to the moment.”
Although the closures are not mandatory at the moment, Newsom said he expects businesses to follow his guidance.
Newsom’s request followed a similar directive from the governors of Ohio and Illinois earlier in the day.
Derek Johnson, San Luis Obispo’s city manager, said the city would consult with the county Public Health Department on Sunday about any direction on how to ensure safety measures are best carried out by local businesses, before announcing any city actions.
“We advise caution and to honor the governor’s direction on social distancing,” Johnson said.
Multiple county eateries and bars learning about the governor’s announcement on Sunday expressed concern about the business challenges they’re facing, as they plan ahead.
On Sunday afternoon, as a normal-sized crowd of mostly regular customers gathered at McCarthy’s Irish Pub in San Luis Obispo, co-owner Billy Hales held up his cell phone showing an app containing ASH Management’s sales from its more than a dozen bars and restaurants countywide.
“See Rooster Creek (in Arroyo Grande)? We had a great night — that’s better than an average night,” Hales told a Tribune reporter. “People are supportive and they want to come down, but they’re being told not to come.”
ASH Management owns many of San Luis Obispo’s highest profile downtown bars — including Creeky Tiki Bar & Island Grill, MoTav, Frog & Peach Pub, Bull’s Tavern, The Library and McCarthy’s Irish Pub.
Within hours of Newsom’s announcement, Hales said he received more than a hundred text messages from local residents — and some messages from his more than 550 employees wondering if they’re going to have paychecks over the next month or two.
Hales said he’s been humbled by the community support, but the possibility of shuttering ASH Management’s properties — many of which do not serve food — has created an enormous amount of anxiety.
As of Sunday afternoon, Hales said he didn’t know what to tell his staff.
“Many of these people, they’re single parents,” he said.
Hales said he’s spoken to some of his landlords, one of whom who owns three ASH Management properties and pledged to work with him however he could, but not all of the property owners are in such a position.
Hales said that he believes the nation’s reaction to coronavirus, fueled in large part by media coverage, has gone overboard. He said his businesses take precautions during flu season every year and that this year’s novel coronavirus is no different.
Federal, state and local health officials, including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have repeatedly urged residents to take the coronavirus outbreak seriously and practice social distancing to curb the spread of the illness.
Residents who choose not to heed health officials’ advice and gather in large groups in close proximity to others risk contracting the virus or unknowingly spreading it to community members, particularly those with health conditions who could become seriously ill.
Hales has advised his staff to stay home if they feel sick or exhibit symptoms, but he said the most at-risk population — the elderly and people with serious underlying medical issues — are not the customers coming out to bars and restaurants in the time of coronavirus.
He added in no uncertain terms that his businesses can’t survive a monthlong closure.
“This will bankrupt me,” Hales said.
He said he is going to do all in his power to stay open for business.
On Monday, McCarthy’s announced on Facebook it would close its doors at 5 p.m., in accordance with the county’s emergency declaration banning alcohol sales.
Firestone Grill restaurant will stay open
Hal Billingsley, who belongs to the family that owns Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo, said the restaurant will continue operating but will likely focus on to-go orders.
He said that staffing already has been cut back because of a slowdown of customers, and he feels badly about the impact on his employees and other workers in the area.
Billingsley said the restaurant has been diligently cleaning and making sure nobody comes to work sick, which hasn’t happened yet.
He said tables are spaced out appropriately so people won’t come within six feet of each other. A couple, for example, can eat with adequate distance from neighboring patrons, he said.
Billingsley said the family-owned business owns its commercial building, but others that pay monthly rent in town will be harder hit.
“We’re hoping the restrictions and closures will help the recovery and make a difference,” Billingsley said. “We’re fortunate in that we’ve done this a long time and we’re fairly well-positioned to get through it, but I worry about other SLO businesses.”
How other SLO County restaurants would be affected
Jai Covey — general manager of his family’s businesses that include Luna Red, Novo, Mint + Craft, and Robin’s in Cambria — said that the coronavirus response has been challenging and that his team would meet Sunday to formulate a plan moving forward.
Their restaurants have been obsessively cleaning, including ensuring employees frequently wash hands and that knobs and door handles are cleaned, Covey said.
They’re offering single-use condiments as well, and not placing ketchup bottles on the table, which multiple groups of patrons could touch.
“We were considering closing before the governor’s announcement,” Covey said. “We’ll have to evaluate again. But really, it’s difficult for our employees. Most of them live paycheck to paycheck.”
Covey hopes landlords will be forgiving and offer rent reductions during an unprecedented impact on local businesses.
Like Firestone Grill, Covey said his restaurants partner with Door Dash, a food delivery service, and that could be a mechanism for maintaining service. Covey’s businesses also use the delivery services FoodJets and Cafe Runner.
“We do offer those deliveries, but they’re a small part of our overall business,” Covey said. “If it continues to be super slow, we’ll have to consider whether to stay open.”
Across the street from Novo on Higuera Street, James Whitaker, co-owner of Kreuzberg California coffee shop, said that he would be “discussing with my partner (their next steps for handling the situation) and making an announcement on social media.”
Morro Bay music venue staying open for now
In Morro Bay, The Siren will remain open and continue to serve as a live music venue until mandated otherwise, according to owner Paul Boisclair.
“We’re still trying to get clarity,” Boisclair said. “And to the extent of the law, we will stay open.”
Boisclair said The Siren is respectful of the issues and the outbreak at hand. However, they want to continue to serve the community for as long as possible.
If it’s mandated that the venue closes, Boisclair said it will do so.
“With the closure of basically all entertainment avenues, we’re left to our local communities to gather and talk about the issue,” he said, adding that he encourages the discussions surrounding all issues, including coronavirus.
Paso Robles bar may close
For the first time in 50 years, Pine Street Saloon will likely close its doors in response to the governor’s directive.
“I’m just worried about my employees,” owner Ron French said. “There’s a lot of people. This is all that they have.”
French said once he knows the request for bars to shutter is official, Pine Street Saloon will close.
“As far as I know, nobody has officially told me anything. I don’t know what to do,” French said. “Being a small business, we take all the necessary precautions. ... But I’m not for this.”
Saturday was last hurrah for many downtown patrons
Multiple workers and business owners who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Tribune that Saturday night in downtown San Luis Obispo saw heavy customer bar traffic, as college students and young adults flocked to drinking establishments.
“It started out slow and then it got super busy really fast in the later night hours,” one San Luis Obispo business operator said. “It was actually surprising how many people were out.”
Some speculated that the weekend might have been a last hurrah before young adults start hunkering down at home for an indefinite future.
“I understand where they’re coming from because they want to have fun, and younger people aren’t showing as severe of symptoms (with coronavirus),” the business operator said. “But obviously, if they get it, they can pass it on to others.”
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations or call the Public Health information line at 805-788-2903.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 12:54 PM.
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