ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis has extended its outdoor seating program for restaurants and bars through the end of 2021, though the move comes as new virus restrictions are possible.
First implemented in May, the program aims to help restaurants expand the number of people they can accommodate within indoor capacity restrictions, now at 50% of normal due to the pandemic. It envisioned a streamlined process for expanding or creating outdoor dining and seating on a temporary basis. The city said 40 such permits have been approved at no cost through its Office of Special Events.
Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a statement that she's "very aware of the many challenges the pandemic has created for our local restaurants and other small businesses, and their workforce."
"I see this as an opportunity for us to continue to help them as much as possible so they can serve more customers and hopefully keep people on the payroll while still being able to safely practice robust social distancing," she said.
However, the extension comes as weather could threaten outdoor dining. In response, some restaurants have gotten creative with tents and heaters for patios.
But new virus restrictions could be on the way amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said as much Monday, without elaborating. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, a consortium of the largest local health systems, reported 120 new hospital admissions, a new single-day record, though it didn't report overall capacity figures "due to a delay in data." County restaurants and bars must now close by 10 p.m. In the city, it's 11 p.m.
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