ROCKINGHAM — On the day a month-long curfew on alcohol sales was set to expire, Gov. Roy Cooper extended it for another month.
Cooper issued an executive order Monday to prohibit the sale of alcohol after 11 p.m. across the state, this time lasting until Oct. 2.
The original order, which went into effect July 31, expired Monday.
“North Carolina has made good progress stabilizing our COVID-19 numbers, and this order will help us continue it,” Cooper said in a press release. “Now is the time to continue staying cautious and vigilant as we work to beat this pandemic.”
Local governments that have implemented orders that end alcohol sales before 11 p.m. or that apply to other entities remain in effect, according to the governor’s office.
The governor closed bars at 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, traditionally a drinking holiday.
Restaurants were eventually allowed to reopen at half-capacity and guidelines from the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission let private clubs that sell food open their doors back in June.
The Hide-A-Way Tavern was one of a few drinking establishments to reopen in Richmond County.
Owner Chris Sachs previously told the RO that the seemingly arbitrary early cut-off was hurting business.
“I don’t know how it is you can only get COVID after 11 p.m.,” Sachs said, adding that those three hours make a significant difference in bar terms. “Most people don’t leave home until 11 o’clock, which I think that’s kinda the reason they did it … I think it’s more political than anything else.”
Another private club, Double Vision, has yet to open.
Owner Richard Robinson said all the regulations make it nearly impossible.
