North Carolina faces calls to continue reopening even as Covid-19 cases surge
Major – the photogenic life-sized bronze bull statue that presides over a square near the center of downtown Durham, North Carolina – hasn’t had much company in recent weeks.
With the number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state all trending upwards, many businesses up and down Main Street remain closed, while others operate in a limited capacity. Some storefronts have been boarded up following recent Black Lives Matter protests, with the plywood covered in graffiti art. “People were crying before the teargas,” one read.
Outside Pour Taproom on Thursday evening, several groups sat sipping drinks at red metal tables spaced strategically apart. The pour-it-yourself taproom reopened last week, and since has seen a solid, if unspectacular, stream of patrons. Anjelika Vasquez, the Taproom’s manager, said many had felt “cooped up in the house”.
“It’s such a weird period,” she said. “But people want to drink.”
Under North Carolina’s current set of rules, restaurants, breweries, retail stores and salons are allowed to open at 50% capacity. Gyms and bars are closed, with wiggle room for pubs that serve food. Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/travesty-north-carolina-grapples-reopening-080025434.html
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