Campus-area bar owners believe that another government mandated shutdown will result in the closure of many small businesses around the state. Credit: Skyler Kraft | Assistant Arts & Life Editor
While Gov. Mike DeWine seeks to end drinking games and shut down dance floors, campus-area bar owners fear that they will have to shut their doors for good.
DeWine held a press conference Wednesday night to address the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across Ohio, implementing new mandates, creating a task force to ensure mask-wearing in businesses and banning open congregation areas, such as dance floors. While encouraging mask-wearing, DeWine gave a less optimistic message to bars and restaurants in the state, giving members of the campus-area restaurant industry more fears about the vitality of their businesses.
“If the current trend continues and cases keep increasing, we will be forced to close restaurants, bars and fitness centers,” DeWine said. “We will look at this one week from tomorrow.”
Dan Starek, owner of Oldfield’s North Fourth Tavern and Leo’s on the Alley, said he has received calls from small business owners around the state who have expressed deep concerns about another government-mandated shutdown causing their businesses to fail.
Starek said another shutdown will likely result in the permanent closure of one of his businesses as well.
“They’re strong-arming these small businesses that people are trying to survive, and they’re strong-arming them because they feel like they can. And we’re scared –– we’re thoroughly scared –– that we’re going to lose our businesses,” Starek said.
Scott Ellsworth, owner of Threes Above High and Fours On High, criticized DeWine for targeting bars and restaurants without implementing concrete policy to target private large gatherings, such as house parties in the off-campus area as well as residential neighborhoods around Columbus.
“I do think that he’s doing a huge disservice to the state of Ohio by thinking that closing down bars and restaurants is going to fix his house party problem,” Ellsworth said. “And when I say house party, I’m not even talking about campus; I’m talking about the suburbs. A birthday party of 10 that’s at a bar –– guess what? You have it in your neighborhood, now you can have 25. No one is going to come into your house and stop you from doing that.”
Starek said he believes the state’s hands are tied because they cannot force the general public to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. He said people are experiencing COVID fatigue and will likely not listen to government mandates about COVID-19 because of it.
House parties are still active in the off-campus area. While the university has implemented a task force whose job it is to crack down on large gatherings, the city or state has not provided any enforcement of the following of COVID-19 guidelines or mandates outside of mask-wearing requirements.
The positivity rate for the university is also increasing, with 127 new student cases this week — an increase of almost 50 students from last week.
Ellsworth said he believes cracking down on bars and restaurants will only increase the rate at which students attend off-campus house parties, thus increasing the rate of student cases.
“I get we need to get numbers down and so on, but he’s saying, ‘Don’t go to house parties,’ and then he’s saying on the other end, ‘We’re going to close bars if the numbers don’t get better in a week,’” Ellsworth said. “What does he think’s going to happen in a week when bars close down? Does he think kids are going to stay at home and study? No, they’re going to be at house parties even longer.”
Campus-area bars have garnered complaints on social media the past two weekends due to the lack of physical distancing and mask-wearing by guests waiting in lines during Ohio State football games. Students have previously expressed concerns about behavior at bars and their contribution to the spread of COVID-19 on and off campus.
During his press conference, DeWine said wearing a mask is the best way of slowing the spread of the virus, and people at bars, restaurants and fitness centers are less likely to wear them.
“I am very well aware of the burden this will place on employees and the owners, but these are places where it is difficult or impossible to maintain mask-wearing, which we know now is the chief way of slowing this virus,” DeWine said.
Starek said although lines can become long and guests may not follow mask-wearing rules or physical distancing guidelines outside of the bars, it is still on the city to enforce the rules outside of those establishments.
“I get that if you have the public perception of a place doing something wrong because there’s 100 people in line outside without masks or not socially distant. That’s city property; where’s the city? Where’s the state enforcing their own rules?” Starek said. “And then, once again, where has the enforcement been if a bar is doing it wrong? Why aren’t they enforcing it?”
Since the start of the emergency shutdown March 15, the Ohio Investigative Unit –– a branch of the Ohio Department of Public Safety in charge of enforcing Ohio’s liquor laws –– visited 20,006 liquor permit premises and handed out citations at 254 locations including six last weekend, one of those being the Eclipse Ultra Lounge in Columbus, according to data provided by the unit.
Of the 20,006 locations visited, 2,315 were for Rule 80 violations, which indicates the time frame in which alcohol can be sold –– 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. –– and consumed on the premises –– 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Five of the seven citations issued last week were for Rule 80 violations, including the citation issued in Columbus. None were for emergency order violations. The OIU has issued a total of 33 emergency order violations and 119 Rule 80 violations since March 15.
Ellsworth said he believes the majority of people are on the side of the bars, and the restaurant industry is being villainized by the state.
“This weird witch hunt that DeWine is on is kind of bull s—,” Ellsworth said. “It’s laziness on their part because they don’t have an answer, so they need a villain. And they just chose us.”
