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Gov. Tom Wolf&rsquo;s latest update to regulations for bars and restaurants, issued on Tuesday, has registered some strong reactions with local bar owners and employees as it seems to trade added capacity for reduced alcohol serving hours.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like one step forward, and two steps back,&rdquo; said Eric Murphy, owner of Murphy&rsquo;s Pub in Swoyersville. &ldquo;What difference does it make what time we stop serving alcohol?&rdquo;
				Wolf announced Tuesday morning that restaurants may increase indoor occupancy to 50% starting Monday, Sept. 21. That may sound like good news, but Murphy is among bar owners are more concerned about one of the stipulations attached to Wolf&rsquo;s newest guidelines &mdash; a mandate that restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m.
				Murphy&rsquo;s, like just about every small corner bar in the area, has taken a hit throughout the pandemic. The bar was forced to close in March, and was only reopened for a few weeks in Pennsylvania&rsquo;s &ldquo;green phase&rdquo; before additional restrictions on bars and restaurants were ordered by the governor in July.
				Murphy has adapted as well as he can, setting up more outdoor seating and following guidelines to the letter, but it hasn&rsquo;t been easy. This latest guideline restricting alcohol sales after 10 p.m. will do more harm than good, according to Murphy.
				&ldquo;What about the folks who work from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.?&rdquo; Murphy asked.
				In making the announcement, Wolf said restaurants will &ldquo;self-certify&rdquo; that they are in compliance with appropriate orders.
				The governor said to ensure that businesses operate safely as Pennsylvania continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to instill customers and employees with confidence knowing that they can dine safely, restaurants will &#8203;commit to strictly complying to all public health safety guidelines and orders through a self-certification process.
				&lsquo;This could really hurt us&rsquo;
				Over in Kingston, a longtime bartender at Carey&rsquo;s Pub was even more blunt in her assessment of Wolf&rsquo;s newest announcement.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;m nervous,&rdquo; said Brittney Hillard, a 12-year employee of Carey&rsquo;s. &ldquo;We all are, we&rsquo;re worried about being able to keep our jobs &#8230; this could really hurt us.&rdquo;
				Hillard said that she and the other bartenders had to essentially become servers as well, as previous guidelines dictated that bars had to serve food with every drink purchase.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re lucky that we have such a great group of regulars here that have been a huge help,&rdquo; Hillard said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great that a lot of local bars have been able to get by, but we do a lot of sales after 10 p.m. and now we can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
				Self-certification process
				The self-certification documents and information about the Open & Certified Pennsylvania program can be found online starting September 21. In addition to the restriction on alcohol sales after 10 p.m., the following must be submitted as well:
				&#8226; A list of requirements contained in the current restaurant industry guidance and enforcement efforts.
				&#8226; A statement that the owner has reviewed and agrees to follow these requirements.
				&#8226; The business&rsquo; maximum indoor occupancy number based on the fire code.
				&#8226; A statement that the owner understands that the certification is subject to penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities.
				Any restaurant that wishes to &#8203;increase to 50% indoor capacity on Sept. 21 must complete the online self-certification process by Oct. 5. Business owners should keep a copy of the self-certification confirmation they will receive by e-mail. Social distancing, masking and other mitigation measures must be employed to protect workers and patrons.
				Additionally, restaurants that self-certify will be mailed Open & Certified Pennsylvania branded materials, such as window clings and other signage designating their certification, which they can display for customers and employees.
				The self-certification will be used as part of ongoing enforcement efforts conducted by Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, and will be shared with the departments of State, Labor & Industry and Health, and other enforcement agencies.
				Restaurants operating at 50% capacity will have their self-certification status checked as part of ongoing enforcement by these agencies starting on Oct. 5, and will focus on educating businesses.
				The commonwealth will continue its measured approach to easing restrictions, keeping the rest of the targeted mitigation tactics specific to the food retail industry in place as restaurants increase capacity to 50%.
				Further, a restaurant&rsquo;s listing in the Open & Certified Pennsylvania restaurant database shows it cares about its customers, employees, community and the economic future of the state.
				&ldquo;We recognize the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Pennsylvania&rsquo;s small businesses, especially on our restaurants,&rdquo; added Wolf. &ldquo;Through this self-certification process, our commonwealth&rsquo;s restaurant industry will ensure the safety and well-being of both employees and patrons alike, and will be able to begin a return to normal operations and financial recovery.&rdquo;
				An Associated Press story said bar and restaurant owners have said they were unfairly blamed for rising virus case numbers, challenging the Wolf administration to provide evidence. At a recent House hearing, industry officials warned that thousands of establishments were in danger of closing permanently without relief from the state.
				The AP story also said Republican leaders in the House said bars and restaurants suffered a &ldquo;lost summer&rdquo; because of Wolf&rsquo;s capacity restrictions.

Bar owners, employees worry about state’s latest update to regulations