The Alexandria City Council has voted to keep in place the pedestrian-only restaurant zone in Old Town through March 2021.
The 100 block of King Street near the of the Northern Virginia city has restaurant seating on the sidewalks and along the road where cars typically would park. A broad corridor down the center of the road is open for walkers and social distancing.
“Right now, we鈥檙e all focused very much on winterizing,” Karl Moritz, Alexandria’s planning director, said of the city and “streatery” restaurants.
Moritz said consideration is being given to the balance of wanting to provide a comfortable experience during the winter while allowing people to eat safely outdoors.
“There鈥檚 the question of how enclosed structures can be, as well as technical issues that we need to be prepared for, such as, 鈥榃hat do we do when we need to plow the streets for snow?鈥欌�� Moritz said.
- Sign up for 草莓传媒 alerts
- Latest coronavirus test results in DC, Maryland and Virginia
- Prince George鈥檚 County: Phase Three could come in next few weeks
- DC-area health officials to White House staff: Come get a COVID-19 test
- Montgomery County aims to make in-person voting coronavirus-proof
- DC extends state of emergency during pandemic through end of year
Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here:聽听触听听触听
Describing the vibe that restauranteurs are trying to maintain, Scott Shaw of said they鈥檙e hoping to keep an open feeling with healthy air flow.
“If it feels like you鈥檙e indoors in a restaurant, then you might as well go indoors to dine,” Shaw said.
The idea is that temporary structures would not be completely enclosed, they鈥檇 just provide warmth and shelter from the elements.
“What I鈥檓 hearing from customers and even people just strolling down the street is they鈥檙e coming around the corner, and they鈥檙e pausing, and they鈥檙e going, 鈥榃ow, this feels like Europe,鈥欌�� Shaw said. 鈥淪ummer in Europe is all outdoor dining, right?鈥�
Shaw also noted that many restaurants have taken measures to improve air quality for eating indoors.
鈥淎 lot of restaurants, ours included, have spent a fair amount of money putting in things like air ionizers, which are designed to kill viruses as air circulates through the interior of the restaurant,鈥� Shaw said. 鈥淧lus, you have really serious air handling systems in the kitchens.鈥�
In Alexandria, face coverings are required for all in indoor and outdoor public places.
“We invite you to enjoy Alexandria, but ,” Moritz said.
