Letter to the editor: Bar owners must protect workers, patrons

Several things became clear to me while reading social media posts about bar closures in Allegheny County.

First, many servers and bartenders continue to feel unsafe due to covid-19 and patrons’ lack of standards for themselves inside of establishments. In addition, servers overwhelmingly have had experiences where if they tried to enforce green-phase standards, they received lower tips. This should not be the responsibility of servers who are already struggling, but that of bar management, who have the higher authority to establish and enforce standards.

While I think it is an extreme step to close all on-site alcohol sales across the county (because I know many establishments are working to meet the standards), I hope bar owners take a moment to realize the reason that they were shut down was because contact tracing continued to point to the spread of covid-19 in their industry. I hope they take additional steps to protect their employees and hold patrons who are violating standards set in place to protect everyone more accountable.

I hope they look to:

• Establish physical barriers such as Plexiglas between patrons and bartenders.

• Create a system of accountability of green-phase standards that is enforced by bar management.

• Establish physical barriers between groups of patrons as additional protection.

I hope this is not a long stop in sales for these establishments. But I truly hope it it is a positive one. I am sorry this hurts bar owners who have followed green phase standards.

Servers, please stay safe and set boundaries.

Joe McAndrew

Oakmont