MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — All Milwaukee restaurants planning to have in-person dining, whether indoor or outdoor, must have their COVID-19 safety plans submitted by midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The plans must be approved by the Milwaukee Health Department in order for in-person dining to continue.

In-person dining could come to an end for some Milwaukee restaurants who fail to respond to the health department.

The health department says Milwaukee has more than 1,700 licensed restaurants and as of Friday, they’ve only received 300 plans. Some restaurants won’t be required to turn one in.

“There’s some that did not submit because they only want to do carryout or curbside,” said Jeanette Kowalik, Milwaukee’s Health Commissioner.

Milwaukee’s 5 O’Clock Steakhouse submitted their plan earlier this month and are awaiting a reply, but have already made changes for the safety of their staff and customers. The restaurant, whose dining room is now at half capacity, submitted a five-page safety plan, in the hopes of expanding capacity.

“We can have 80 people in here at a time so not a problem during the week, but on weekends we do have our upstairs dining room, which we use as well,” said Patrick Walter, manager of 5 O’Clock Steakhouse.

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