When N.J. reopens outdoor dining, here are the rules restaurants and bars must follow - NJ.com

NOTE: This story has been updated to include more guidelines from the state.

When New Jersey restaurants and bars are allowed to offer outdoor dining June 15, they must place tables six feet apart, limit eight customers to a table, post signs that say customers with a fever or symptoms of the coronavirus shouldn’t enter, and prohibit smoking in areas where people are drinking and eating.

The state will also allow establishments with liquor licenses to apply for a one-time, special permit to serve alcohol outside.

And local authorities will decide whether eateries that don’t already have outdoor space can get “creative” and use parking lots, sidewalks, streets, and other areas for seating.

Gov. Phil Murphy outlined those restrictions and guidelines Wednesday as he formally signed an executive order to permit outdoor dining at eateries in the Garden State as the state prepares to begin Stage 2 of its plan to gradually reopen the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am proud that we are able to take this step to get our restart and recovery moving to the next stage,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

The governor said he and his wife already have a dinner reservation for June 15. He didn’t say which restaurant.

“I hope some folks have confidence to get back out there,” said Murphy, who lives in Middletown with his family.

Murphy said expanding COVID-19 testing and a plan for contact tracing — which he said should come within a week — hopefully make people feel safe to take their families “out to an outdoor dining experience or a nonessential retail shop.”

Under restrictions outlined by the state Department of Health, restaurants offering outdoor dining must also:

• Prohibit patrons from entering indoor sections except to walk through when entering or exiting or to use the restroom.
• Require customers to wear face coverings only when inside the building, unless there is a medical reason for not doing so or if the patron is under 2 years.
• Require employees to wash hands when entering.
• Require employees to wear face coverings, unless it would inhabit their health, and to wear gloves when in contact with customers and when handing food, utensils, and other items.
• Eliminate self-serve food and drink options like buffets, salad bars, and drink stations.
• Disinfect tables, chairs, and other shared items.
• Frequently sanitize high-touch areas, like credit-card machines.
• Encourage reservations to help control customer volume.
• Encourage the use of digital menus.
• Rope off tables and chairs that can’t be used.
• Provide tape, signs, and other guides on floors, sidewalks, and walls to make sure patrons stay six feet apart while going to the restroom or waiting for a table.
• Install physical barriers, partitions at cash registers, bars, and host stands.
• Provide hand sanitizer for customers.
• Conduct daily health checks of workers.
• Require employees with symptoms of COVID-19 to be sent home.
• Provide all workers with face coverings, gloves, and sanitation materials.
• Provide workers with break times for repeated handwashing throughout the day.
• Require customers provide a phone number if making a reservation in case of the need for contact tracing.

(Read all the guidelines here.)

As for alcohol, the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control will offer the temporary, special permits that allow restaurants and bars with liquor licenses to expand where they can serve drinks.

Those who seek the permits must comply with local ordinances, which are subject to municipal approval, Murphys said. The permits will run from June 15 to Nov. 14.

As for restaurants and bars without established outdoor seating, Murphy stressed that will be a local decision.

“We recognize that municipal officials closest to the ground are in the best position to make decisions that are both equitable and practicable within their communities, and we welcome their efforts and partnership,” he said.

A number of towns have already said they will close streets to accommodate outdoor dining.

Murphy said Tuesday he hopes New Jersey can allow indoor dining “sooner than later" as the state’s coronavirus numbers continue to drop — and as the state’s economy continues to struggle mightily.

The governor has gradually lifted the near-lockdown orders he installed in March to curb the spread of the virus.

As part of the state’s Stage 2 reopening plan, Murphy said he will also allow nonessential retail stores to welcome customers inside at reduced capacity June 15. Hair salons and barbershops will follow June 22.

Gov. Phil Murphy has revealed a multi-stage coronavirus reopening plan for New Jersey.

Murphy said this is safe not only because the metrics are dropping, but because the state has ramped up testing and is expanding contact tracers that will allow officials to more easily handle any coronavirus spikes.

Officials on Tuesday released new data that shows the coronavirus rate of reproduction in New Jersey has fallen steadily over the last few months, so much so that each new infection has led to fewer than one new case for weeks now. Each infected person led to more than five new cases 10 weeks ago, when Murphy’s stay-at-home orders started.

That announcement came after a group of anonymous state Department of Health employees sent a letter to lawmakers Monday charging that New Jersey’s handling of the virus inside nursing homes was “an unmitigated failure” that led to “preventable deaths" and questioning whether Murphy’s administration is "making things up as they proceed” in order to reopen the economy.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, has reported 11,880 known deaths attributed to COVID-19, with 162,068 known cases, since the outbreak here started March 4. Only New York has more deaths and cases among U.S. states.

State officials on Wednesday reported 112 new deaths and 652 new cases in New Jersey.

Murphy has already allowed parks, beaches, boardwalks, and lakes in New Jersey to reopen. He increased the limit on outdoor gatherings to 25. Indoor gatherings remain capped at 10.

The governor announced last week that child daycare centers in New Jersey can reopen June 15, outdoor, non-contact organized sports can resume June 22, and youth day camps can operate beginning July 6, all with restrictions. The governor also said live horse racing can return, without fans, as early as this weekend. And he said the state is hoping to allow larger indoor gatherings, including those at churches and other houses of worship, by the weekend of June 12.

More than 1.1 million New Jersey residents have filed for unemployment since aggressive social distancing started in mid-March, causing the state’s unemployment rate to surge to 15.3%, though the number of new claims has fallen in recent weeks. Many say they’ve been waiting for weeks to get paid and have struggled with the state’s busy phone and online systems.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.

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When N.J. reopens outdoor dining, here are the rules restaurants and bars must follow - NJ.com
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