With New Year's Eve celebrations starting tonight, local bars are preparing for the possibility of large crowds.
San Luis Obispo countyreported a spike in COVID-19 cases Thursday with more than 500 new cases of the virus in the past two days.
Despite the surge, local bars are still expecting to welcome crowds this New Year's Eve.
“I do think it’s going to be a situation where a lot of what you’re going to see is a younger crowd of kids that are going to come out and who aren’t worried about the situation," said Cory Eytcheson, general manager of Buffalo Pub & Grill and McLintocks.
Bar owners saying they will be following county protocol.
“We are just abiding by you know what the county guidelines are and we’re not doing anything above that. I feel like most of our clientele who is coming out feels comfortable. They’ve made their decisions that’s made them feel comfortable to come out again," said Josh Christensen, partner at Sidecar Cocktail Co.
“So with everything and how the changes have come into play we haven’t had to implement any different restrictions with our equipment or anything like that. We just require you to wear a mask once you come in," said Eytcheson.
People say this New Year's Eve may still feel a little different but they'll continue to take safety precautions.
“We wear our masks where we are supposed to, everyone sort of does and goes with the flow," said Mia Vollk.
