Ohio Announces Liquor Buyback Program for Establishments Closed Due to Coronavirus

Ohio officials have announced a liquor buyback program to help bars and restaurants impacted by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Establishments closed due to the health crisis can “return unopened high proof liquor products purchased within the past 30 days as a way to provide economic assistance to bar and restaurant owners during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

The statement by the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control continued:

This courtesy also extends to those who may have obtained a temporary permit (F2) for an event, scheduled between March 12, 2020 and April 6, 2020, and that event is now cancelled. Additional consideration will be given closer to April 6, 2020 if needed.

All a bar/restaurant or F2 permit holder needs to do is bring the unopened high proof liquor product back to the Contract Liquor Agency they purchased the product. The Agency will call the Liquor Enterprise Service Center (LESC) for approval. Approval is immediate, but awareness of the return is necessary.

Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine tweeted about the announcement and said the decision would help establishments who recently purchased liquor in preparation for Tuesday’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:

#Ohio is offering a one-time liquor buyback option to support bars and restaurants during the #COVID19 pandemic. This will especially aid those establishments that have stocked up on high-proof liquor ahead of the St. Patrick's Day holiday. #COVID19OhioReady https://t.co/yyhP59964Y

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 16, 2020

Sunday, DeWine ordered all restaurants and bars to close their doors as a precaution against the coronavirus.

“The order was issued ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, which commonly would attract large groups of people to bars and restaurants across the state. This would make ‘social distancing’ impossible in many circumstances,” the news release stated.

DeWine said the goal of the closures was to get residents through the health crisis as safely as possible.

“Our hope is that next St. Patrick’s Day, everyone will be there and that they’ll have the opportunity to live their life and live their American dream. But, if people are not around, they can’t do that,” he commented.

Monday on Twitter, the governor encouraged residents to follow official directives regarding mass gatherings.

“This is a once in a 100-year crisis, so we have to come together. We have to treat this like any huge national crisis,” he concluded.