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The Alabama Beverage Control (ABC) Board called an emergency meeting to consider amending its to-go alcohol service rule.

The Board met Monday morning via video conference to discuss the rule, entitled Emergency Rule 20-X-6-.19ER Emergency Curbside Sales Authorization, which was enacted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new decision stands to expand to-go alcohol sales and edit the volume restrictions currently in place.

Similar to package stores, restaurants and bars were previously able to sell drinks "to-go" at the height of the pandemic's lockdown. Meg Summers previously reported this morning that with the recent alarming surge in confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Alabama, the ABC Board's vote "will allow restaurants and bars to sell drinks to customers who do not wish to dine-in."

As Christmas parties are steadily switching to virtual, companies and restaurants alike wish for spirits to be sold for off-premises consumption so employees can, for example, enjoy their favorite restaurant's alcoholic beverage in the comfort and safety of their own homes. This amendment will allow this to be possible, but not without volume restrictions.

The rule is to be amended as such:

"An Alabama licensee who holds a Restaurant and Retail Liquor license that allows the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption only may now sell for off-premises consumption using curbside pick-up or take-out services."

This new policy is limited to beverages of no more than one 375-mL bottle of spirits, two 750-mL bottles of wine or 144 ounces of beer per customer.

The Board unanimously approved the amendment. This will expire after the holiday season is over, coming to an official end on Jan. 4, 2021.

This site will provide more details on the issue as they become available.

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