The Metro Nashville Public Health Department Will Allow Restaurants To Remain Open Until Midnight, Beginning Monday, February 1st, As COVID-19 Metrics Gradually Improve.
Photo: Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Photo Credit: Ian Dagnall / Alamy
Published January 29, 2021
The Center Square [By Vivian Jones]-
The Metro Nashville Public Health Department will allow restaurants to remain open until midnight, beginning Monday, as COVID-19 metrics gradually improve.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said Thursday that Nashville restaurants and bars will be allowed to welcome new patrons until 11 p.m. and remain open until midnight.
Restaurants and bars have been required to stop serving at 10 p.m. and close by 11 p.m.
Earlier this month, the owner of Soho Lounge on Bell Road was arrested for remaining open past the curfew.
Beginning Monday, restaurants that do not serve alcohol may resume regular operating hours, up to 24 hours a day.
“These slight adjustments will help our hospitality businesses while social distancing and capacity rules remain in place, and will be enforced, to keep everyone safe,” Cooper said.
Meanwhile, city officials said in-person learning options at Metro Nashville Public Schools will resume soon, but no timeframe was given as to when that will happen. Ultimately, Cooper said, the decision of when to resume in-classroom instruction is up to the school district.
“The time clearly is coming where we can have an in-person option, and we want that to be well done,” Cooper said.
The district is facing pressure from the state to resume in-person learning. State lawmakers filed legislation last week to defund school districts that do not reopen for in-person learning.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on data from reopened classrooms showed this week that in-person learning does not contribute significantly to the spread of the coronavirus.
“I do think schools should reopen with the protocols and the resources that are needed in each situation of each school to reopen safely,” said Dr. Alex Jahangir, who serves as chairman of the Nashville COVID-19 Task Force. “I think each school has to evaluate their situation and make sure that they have the right resources to reopen this in a safe manner.”
The city will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment this weekend at a new vaccination site at the Music City Center. The health department plans to administer 1,000 doses each day, seven days a week. The number is limited by the supply of vaccine doses available to the city.
About the Author:
Vivan Jones, The Center Square Staff Reporter
Vivian Jones reports on Tennessee and South Carolina for The Center Square. Her writing has appeared in the Detroit News, The Hill, and publications of The Heartland Institute.
