BELLBROOK — Between a 6:30 p.m. kickoff and an 11 p.m. curfew, there may finally be a game where bars can host fans from start to finish.
Local bar owners look forward to the weekend of the Super Bowl and say it is a milestone after 11 months of the COVID pandemic.
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As of right now, people are supposed to be home by 11 p.m., but if the COVID numbers continue to decline that could soon change.
“Eleven has made a difference,” said Kerry McIntosh, the owner of McIntosh’s Pub.
“At least here locally yes, because people were ending a sporting event at seven or eight, oh we only have an hour until the kitchen closes, so it’s made a huge difference.”
With the state tracking a drop in COVID numbers, Gov. DeWine said things could soon get even better for businesses.
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Ohio already passed the state’s threshold of a week straight with few than 3,500 COVID patients in the hospitals to push the curfew back to 11 p.m.
With seven straight days under 3,000 cases the curfew will go to midnight and if there are 2,500 patients or fewer for a week straight there will be no more curfew.
“We’ll take a look at it next Thursday and we may be able to take the curfew off,” DeWine said.
That cannot come soon enough for restaurants and bars.
The National Restaurant Association is now projecting that 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or long-term and 17 percent of them are nationwide.
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“I struggle, I don’t like the beginning of the month or end of the month,” McIntosh said.
For this weekend, hope is on the horizon for local business owners as people plan to watch the big game.
“It’s going to be a great weekend,” she said.
Cox Media Group
