Wedding receptions: Catering, banquet halls permitted to reopen June 1 under these guidelines

Gov. DeWine made many happy couples even happier on Thursday, when he announced that wedding receptions would be permitted to resume on June 1, under the same restrictions placed on restaurants for dining.

Getting married or going to a wedding? Here’s what you can expect from catering and banquet halls:

Up to 300 wedding guests permitted, with guests broken up by parties of 10 people or less
Parties (tables) must be separated by six feet, or a physical barrier (physical barrier options: High booth back, plexiglass wall, clear curtain, etc.)
An elevated cleaning and sanitizing schedule for all surfaces that staff and guests contact should be created and executed.
Workers will be expected to handwash frequently; not all will be expected to wear gloves (According to professionals, this practice can be counterproductive in stopping the spread of the virus)
Open congregate areas will remain closed for the time being, like dance floors and activity spaces; however, these areas can be used to place seating to help with social distancing
The use of no-touch entrances and exits are suggested, as well as separate entrances and exits where possible
Instead of using containers for condiments to be used by multiple guests, caterers should use single packets or cups
It will be up to the individual banquet or catering hall whether or not to require that wedding guests wear masks

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