They say nothing good happens after midnight.
Governor Newsom is considering a statewide curfew as a means to get the surge of COVID-19 cases under control, and here in San Diego restaurants and bars are required to close at 10 p.m.
But do early closure times really help control virus spread?
There is no scientific evidence pointing to curfews at bars and restaurants effectively curbing the spread of COVID-19, but county data suggests it could be worth a try.
Restaurants and bars account for 174 community outbreaks since March, according to county data, second only to businesses.
So while curfews seem to make sense to the untrained eye, Immunologist Carl Ware knows it’s not that simple.
“It may have an impact. It might have a 5% impact. You know, it’s not gonna solve the entire problem. So that’s part of the issue, is trying to literally plug all these routes of viral spread," said Ware.
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Chris Shaw and his partners own five businesses in Hillcrest, including Gossip Grill, Urban Mo’s and Hillcrest Brewery Company. All of them have suffered during the closure and changing restrictions, but he still supports an earlier closing time for his bars, clubs and restaurants.
“They have a couple of cocktails, they make riskier behavior. And they tend to go out with different groups of people as well,” Shaw said.
Shaw knows as well as anyone that tighter restrictions have negative side effects. He had to lay off 90 employees.
“So they’re struggling with less hours because of the curfew. They’re struggling with less tips because we don’t have as many customers coming into restaurants,” he explained.
Reducing hours is just a small piece of controlling the pandemic, according to Ware. In the end, he said it’s up to everyone to do their part.
“In that situation no matter what, it’s a personal choice. If you’re gonna go to a bar and party and laugh and spread potential aerosols that can infect people,” he said.
