Governor Roy Cooper announced at a press conference on Tuesday that restaurants can seat their dining rooms up to 75 percent capacity beginning on Friday, March 26 at 5 p.m. and increase outdoor dining capacity to 100 percent. Bars may increase their indoor capacity to 50 percent, though all guests must be seated. The 11 p.m. alcohol sales curfew will also be lifted on Friday at 5 p.m.

Social distancing of six feet will still be required, however, meaning smaller dining rooms will likely be unable to safely seat 75 percent of their pre-pandemic capacity. Masks must also still be worn while not actively eating or drinking.

“This virus and its more contagious variants are still spreading, and we may even need to be more careful as we ease restrictions in that we will likely come into contact with more people when we leave our homes and go into public places,” Cooper says.

Restaurant employees are now eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, and according to Cooper, almost one third of adults in North Carolina have had their first dose of the vaccine.

According to the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, the sales of to-go cocktails has also been extended through April. Read the full executive order here.

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