The County acts on the virus

As COVID-19 cases reach record numbers, Allegheny County to ban alcohol sales in bars, restaurants starting Tuesday afternoon

Bars and restaurants in Allegheny County will be prohibited from selling alcohol for drinking on-site beginning Tuesday afternoon by order of the Pennsylvania Department of Health as the number of COVID-19 cases spikes and officials struggle to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease.

For the first time since the outbreak began in Western Pennsylvania in March, Allegheny County led the state Sunday in new cases with 96 — a record for the county — and the number of positive cases in the county in the previous two days was higher than the past two weeks, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during an unusual Sunday briefing.

“We have seen some alarming spikes in our numbers in the last week,” he said in what was only the second briefing of its kind since the outbreak of the pandemic triggered by the coronavirus in Western Pennsylvania. 

“If we don’t get ahead of it now, we’re going to have to shut down many more businesses. It’s a very serious situation.”

Effective immediately, on-premises alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants is banned in Allegheny County and enforcement will begin at 5 p.m Tuesday. 

Penalties for violations can result in the closure of the business for a week, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said.

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Despite the shutdown of alcohol sales, there were no imminent plans to move the county back into the yellow phase — with more restrictive requirements for businesses — as the result of the sharp increase in the number of cases, Dr. Bogen said.

“We don’t want to close down our economy again,” she said. 

“We know that’s not good for people’s health, either. If we follow the guidance, we should be OK.”