July 24. It’s been exactly one month since Gov. Roy Cooper mandated face masks out in public to help control the spread of COVID-19. To mark the occasion we visited nine restaurants in Cornelius to see what was happening around mask-wearing.

One restaurant, Cool Fish, took our temp upon entering, thankfully on our forehead. (We came in at a chill 95…is that a problem?)

With North Carolina “paused” in Safer At Home Phase 2 until Aug. 7, restaurants can open at 50 percent dine-in capacity with distancing and cleaning requirements. To ensure social distancing, the state is calling for at least 6-foot separation between parties for indoor and outdoor dining. To view the state guidelines for restaurants, click here.

You don’t have to wear a mask while eating. (Phew!) But customers should wear a face covering when not at their table, unless an exception like a medical condition applies.

People with medical conditions and children under 11 are not required to wear face coverings, and people are not required to wear masks while at home.

Some restaurants that were open for weekday lunch pre-COVID-19, like Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails, are open for dinner as well as weekend lunches. Owner Alton Updike says he hopes to open for weekday lunch in the fall.

Mac’s Speed Shop