Amid coronavirus concerns, Tampa mayor Jane Castor calls for all restaurants and bars to limit capacity and close by 10 p.m.

"Even if it means spending a little time apart, remember we are all in this together," said Castor.

click to enlarge Amid coronavirus concerns, Tampa mayor Jane Castor calls for all restaurants and bars to limit capacity and close by 10 p.m.
Screen grab via City of Tampa/Facebook

In a Monday evening Facebook Live video, Tampa mayor Jane Castor announced sweeping measures impacting local restaurants and bars in reaction to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting on noon Tuesday, March 17 at noon, all Tampa restaurants and bars will have to limit capacity to 50%, as well as close by 10 p.m. 

"Even if it means spending a little time apart, remember we are all in this together," said Castor. 

Earlier today, St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman banned all events of 50 people or more. He also instituted a 9 p.m. “last call” for alcohol sales, and asked local businesses to reduce occupancy by 50%. 

President Donald Trump also addressed the nation today, and stated that the federal coronavirus task force now recommends that people avoid groups of 10 or more.

As of time of publishing, Florida has 155 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

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Colin Wolf

Colin Wolf has been working with weekly newspapers since 2007 and has been the Digital Editor for Creative Loafing Tampa since 2019. He is also the Director of Digital Content Strategy for CL's parent company, Chava Communications.
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