A Monday meeting may determine whether Alabama resumes allowing bars and restaurants to make curbside alcohol sales.
The state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board scheduled an emergency virtual meeting on the issue due the state’s surge in coronavirus cases. The Alabama Department of Public Health currently lists close to 300,000 COVID-19 cases in the state, and nearly 50,000 cases in the past two weeks. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaulation at the University of Washington says Alabama’s spike in cases began in early October and jumped by 5 times, with the number beginning to ease starting today.
The state of Alabama agreed back in March to allow businesses with liquor licenses to sell to-go orders of alcohol in unopened containers when bars and restaurant dining rooms were shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19. Officials allowed the emergency provision to expire in September, saying it was no longer necessary because bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen with limited capacity.
The Alabama Public Radio news team reported on stories related to the response of the hospitality industry due to COVID-19. Click below to hear some of those stories.
