Arlington County Pleads with Bars and Restaurants to Close Dining Roo

Published on March 16, 2020

UPDATE: March 17, 2020: List of bars and restaurants that are Closed or offering To-Go/Curbside Only

Statement from Arlington County

States across the country, including Washington, DC and Maryland, have ordered all bars and restaurants to close for dine-in service as of 10:00 p.m. tonight (March 16, 2020). Arlington County does not have the legal authority to order the same. However, we ask that Arlington bars and restaurants take responsible action and switch from dine-in service to only offering carryout and delivery.

We have seen some restaurants get very creative with how to do carryout with social distancing. Encouraging carryout service is a good way to help these small businesses and their staffs make it through this challenging time.

We thank all those that have already done so, but we plead with all our bars and restaurants that have NOT yet closed their dining rooms to do so as of 10:00 p.m. tonight (March 16) and not reopen until we can all work out safe ways for patrons to be served in person. Otherwise, we will likely be overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases and the health of everyone in Arlington will be in jeopardy.

We appreciate your partnership in keeping our community safe.

Libby Garvey, Arlington Board Chair
Mark Schwartz, Arlington County Manager