NC legislature’s next attempt to reopen businesses: Amusement parks, event venues
Wedding and private event venues, amusement parks and arcades could reopen at limited capacity under the latest reopening bill from Republican legislators.
After facing opposition from Gov. Roy Cooper and many Democrats on measures to reopen bars and gyms — effectively overturning some of Cooper’s restrictions aimed to slow the spread of coronavirus — a new version of House Bill 258 was approved Thursday in the Senate Commerce Committee without much opposition. It would impose a 50% capacity limit on reception and party venues, amusement parks and arcades.
Similar to the bar and gym reopening bills, the legislation would require precautions such as face masks and temperature checks for employees, frequent cleanings and social distancing rules.
Lawmakers heard from caterers, wedding planners and private event venue owners who say they can reopen safely. They said private, catered events allow for more precautions than what restaurants are doing. For example, they maintain lists of guests that could be used for contact tracing if there’s an outbreak.
“It’s way easier as a caterer,” said John Ford of Cary-based Ford’s Fluent N’ Food Catering. “We have more time on our hands to set up, clean and sanitize before and after an event. We also have bigger spaces.”
Byron Sackett, the owner of Homesteads Events in Gastonia, said the event industry supports about 100,000 in North Carolina.
“If we’re not open by the end of the year, I probably not only lose my business, I lose my home,” he said. “Why are we being discriminated against and not being allowed to open?”
Amusement parks
The amusement parks and arcades section of the bill could pave the way for Carowinds, the amusement park that straddles North Carolina-South Carolina line, to meet its tentative reopening date of July 27.
For now, it’s unclear whether Cooper will allow amusement parks to reopen next month. The current executive order keeps them closed but expires on June 26, and Cooper plans to announce his plans for future restrictions next week.
Sen. Gladys Robinson, a Greensboro Democrat, said she’s uncomfortable with pairing amusement parks that draw large crowds with the catering and event venues, which she praised for their proposed safety measures.
“You have done your homework,” Robinson told the business owners who spoke. “These folks are talking science, talking protections, talking those things that need to be done and everybody else ought to be doing.”
What if there’s another coronavirus spike?
Senate Republicans criticized Cooper’s decision to keep businesses shuttered, and they urged businesses to lobby the governor not to veto the bill.
“The state should not be in the business of picking winners and losers,” said Sen. Todd Johnson, the Union County Republican who presented HB 258. “Thus far, that’s what we’ve been doing.”
An amendment to the bill would, however, give Cooper the power to close the businesses again if there’s another coronavirus spike. But similar to other legislation, he’d be required to get support from a majority of the group of statewide elected officials known as the Council of State.
Democrats have voiced concern about that provision, noting that Republicans make up a majority of Council of State members. HB 258 has to clear another committee before it gets a floor vote in the coming days.
