Lawmakers Pass Bill to Reopen Bars/Gyms, Will King Cooper Veto?

RALEIGH – For the second time in as many weeks, North Carolina state lawmakers have passed legislation that would allow business currently closed by executive decree to open with restrictions. Last week, Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would have allowed bars to partially open and restaurants to expand capacity; will issue another veto this week?

House Bill 594 would allows bars and fitness facilities to open their doors and operate at 50 percent capacity, provided they meet a bevy of health and sanitation requirements related to mitigating spread of the Wuhan virus.

The bill contains some of the some language related to bars from the bill Cooper spiked last week. In his veto message, Cooper complained that that bill would limit his unilateral ability to close the businesses back down if there is a spike in coronavirus cases.

Well….yes. One might think limiting the governor’s apparent supreme power to close private businesses and suspend core rights under the guise of public health caution is THE POINT.

Already, the governor and his public health czars are getting antsy to halt reopening, or even reverse it, because more tests keep revealing more cases. Cooper even mentioned the possibility that schools would not open on schedule for the 2020-2021 school year.

No, the hospitals are not overwhelmed; and, no, the virus has not proven to be extraordinarily deadly versus other pathogens; but select officials are reviving the Pandemic Panic over a second wave any how.