Holiday Weekend App Amid Rise in COVID-19 Infections
PORTLAND, Oregon (KTVZ) – Oregon Liquor Control Commission staff will be deployed statewide over the 2020 Independence Day holiday weekend to ensure restaurants and bars and their customers comply with the state alcohol laws, OLCC standards, and the governor’s social policy. distancing requirements.
The enforcement action comes as the COVID-19 virus has increased statewide, reaching a new record of 375 new confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
The OLCC said it has relaxed some regulations to allow alcohol licensees to reconfigure their bar and restaurant space so that they can reopen while maintaining social distance requirements for staff and customers.
Under Governor Brown’s Reopening Guide, bars and restaurants in Phase 1 can serve alcohol until 10 pm, in Phase 2, those establishments can remain open until midnight.
In coordination with the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA), the OLCC will conduct spot checks to ensure that licensees comply with OLCC regulations. OLCC inspectors will check to make sure bars and restaurants are not crowded, that customers are not overconsuming, and that businesses are closing on time.
“We want to make sure that our licensees remain diligent this holiday weekend and are not complacent,” said Steve Marks, executive director of OLCC. “Frankly, the health of Oregonians, and the ability of bars and restaurants to stay open, depends on it.”
When there is a clear violation of Oregon law or OLCC rules, OLCC said it will take administrative action against the licensee. If inspectors observe violations of the social distancing requirements outside the OLCC enforcement authority, the agency will report that information to Oregon OSHA for action.
