Wolf to restaurants and bars: COVID might curtail Super Bowl and Valentine's celebrations

Don't count on a romantic Valentine's dinner for two or a raucous Super Bowl party. 

Despite lifting mitigation that shuttered indoor dining and bars for three weeks, Gov. Tom Wolf warned that the next two big events for restaurants and bars might see the same fate as Christmas dining. 

"The virus is going to be what it is," Wolf said. "I think what happens on Feb. 7 depends on how fast the vaccine rolls out. What happens between now and Feb. 7 depends on what we do to make sure this virus does not overwhelm our healthcare system."  

Wolf lifted a three week ban on indoor dining, on-site, indoor alcohol consumption and indoor entertainment, effective Jan. 4. Earlier this month, he shuttered the businesses after the number of cases of COVID-19 skyrocketed, with the number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized due to the virus doubling that in the spring. 

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Wolf wouldn't say if he would put additional restrictions on dining for a third time during the pandemic if cases spike again. 

"I have no idea what I will do in the future," Wolf said. "As I say, we're all working in uncharted waters here ... None of us know what is going to happen between now and, you know, a month from now."

Officials for the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association say they're glad the indoor dining ban will be lifted, but a lot of damage has been done already to small businesses. 

"While this is positive news for establishments across the state, unfortunately, the lingering impact on both businesses and employees will be felt as we move into 2021," Chuck Moran, executive director of the association, said in a statement. "Businesses lost a key time of the year, while many bartenders and servers missed out on usually very generous tips during the holiday season."

Moran said the association wants the Legislature to provide industry-specific grants to help taverns and licensed restaurants that have been hit hard by the pandemic. 

"Furthermore, to help the industry recover, we urge Governor Wolf to lift the order that prevents taverns and licensed restaurants from using bar top seating if establishments follow proper social distancing or barriers in those locations," Moran said. "Many corner bars throughout Pennsylvania have extraordinarily little, if any, table seating. This would help the smallest locations survive."

This week, more than 70 restaurants were ordered to close because they violated Wolf's order. He said that as far as he knows, all of those restaurants will be allowed to reopen at 8:01 a.m. Jan. 4. 

Wolf said that he believes the majority of restaurants abided by his order, and that helped cases plateau during the holiday season.

"This is after only two weeks," he said. "This is during the heaviest part of the Christmas, New Year's, Kwanza celebration season, and the hope is that by next Monday that will have had the effect of actually flattening the curve."