Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol says she was wrong to suggest that a local beer garden should be shut down over the weekend.
Cristol retweeted a photo posted by Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko on Friday night, which showed a large crowd — none wearing masks — outdoors at The Lot beer garden near Clarendon.
“A bunch of selfish a**holes in Arlington, VA this evening,” Parkhomenko said in his tweet, which went viral and racked up thousands of likes and retweets. Many of those sharing the post decried how such crowding could exacerbate the pandemic.
“Well, this sucks,” Cristol wrote in her response to the tweet. “We’re in this together, and are going to have a hard time continuing to move forward if folks/establishments won’t do the basics of masks & distancing. All: Please help us follow up (and shut this stuff down) by reporting.”
Cristol also shared a link to a “non-compliance of social distancing practices” reporting form created by the county.
In response, however, The Lot said in a social media post on Saturday that it followed “all CDC, state, and local guidelines,” noting that it has “a large patio so naturally there will be more people, attention, and visibility.”
While The Lot posted a sign encouraging mask usage, Virginia’s new mask requirement only requires it for indoor public spaces.
A huge thank you to all our amazing patrons for the support and patience last night. We’d also like to thank the county…
Posted by The Lot VA on Saturday, May 30, 2020
On Sunday, Crisol posted an apology, acknowledging that Arlington police and fire personnel had visited The Lot and verified that it was following all of the requirements. She added, however, that “too many ppl = an administrative problem the County needs to fix.”
Folks, I owe @TheLotVA an apology; Police & Fire visited Friday & confirmed they're operating @ 50% capacity of cert. of occupancy + distancing tables. So too many ppl = an administrative problem the County needs to fix. And I was wrong to assume The Lot was acting as a scofflaw. https://t.co/WXTB0qtZXc
— Katie Cristol (@kcristol) June 1, 2020
The risk of coronavirus transmission outdoors is considered to be low, though extended exposure and close proximity to someone with the virus — particularly if they’re talking and not wearing a mask — can result in infections even outdoors.
Photo via Twitter