GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As bars and restaurants prepare for potential St. Patrick's Day weekend crowds, health officials are asking people to abide by the COVID-19 safety precautions as numbers have been gradually increasing.
"We are seeing this trending in a direction that we don't want it to go," said Dr. Nirali Bora, medical director of the Kent County Health Department.
Spectrum Health has seen its highest positivity rates since early January in the last few days. The uptick comes at a time when some restrictions have recently been rolled back and variants, which spread more easily, are also continuing to be identified in the state.
State health officials said an uptick was expected after restrictions were loosened. Bora said the goal now is to make sure the situation doesn't grow worse.
"Stay careful, stay cautious. Wear those masks, keep that distance," Bora said.
People keeping their masks on when moving around the restaurant is a primary concern for Graydon's Crossing general manager Steven Robertson.
"That's going to be something that the whole staff is going to have to focus on I'm sure," Robertson said. "Because people get a drink in them, they're gonna forget. If they're having a good time, they're just getting up from their tables."
Graydon's Crossing in northeast Grand Rapids can usually count on St. Patrick's Day celebrations as one of its best days of the year. Last year, they were open for the weekend prior, but closed by St. Patrick's Day 2020 due to COVID-19.
Robertson said he's not sure what to expect this year.
"It's kind of hard to tell what we're gonna be doing this year, or how busy it's going to be," Robertson said.
Restaurants and bars are currently allowed to be open at 50% capacity (up to 100) and must close by 11 p.m. Business has recently picked up a bit more, Robertson said.
Robertson said Graydon's Crossing will have a band on the patio and engravings for Guinness mugs to celebrate the holiday. But, he says, it's a difficult balance between doing what they can at the restaurant and also knowing cases are rising.
"We're doing everything that we can, though, I mean in our power," Robertson said.
Robertson said he's hopeful people turnout.
"But I hope that they do it safely," he said. "We'll try to do everything in our power to keep everybody safe."
Bora says we are at a turning point.
"I think what we decide to do as individuals and as a community in these next four to six weeks is really going to set the direction for what happens in the summer," Bora said.
Summer is beginning to look more promising, health officials say, as vaccine supply is expected to drastically increase in the weeks to come. On Friday, the state announced all people ages 16 years old and older would become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by April 5.
"We really need to give people a chance to get vaccinated, to really help protect themselves and protect the people around them before we let loose and do what we really all want to do," Bora said.
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