PHOENIX — A group of bar owners, bartenders, and bar patrons gathered outside of the State Capitol Thursday to protest the indefinite closure of bars.
Gov. Doug Ducey shut down establishments with only series six and series seven liquor licenses at the end of June, but he allowed restaurants with series twelve licenses to remain open, provided they adopt pandemic safety measures. That includes operating at less than 50% capacity and six feet of spacing between tables.
Bar owners who operate with series six and seven licenses want the chance to open, even if they have to comply with the same standards.
Chuck Jenkins, who owns a bar in Mesa, said he is losing customers to restaurants, which aren’t doing anything he can’t do at his own bar, were he allowed to open.
“All my customers are going to restaurants that have bars, and those places are packed. I’ve been to them at night, and they’re packed, so why can’t we open?” Jenkins asked, rhetorically.
For many of the business people gathered at the Capitol, the coronavirus is a serious matter. Most of the 100-200 protesters wore masks. The issue, they say, is not safety but fairness.
“None of my clients, none of these people here today, think the coronavirus is a hoax,” said attorney Ilan Wurman, who is representing many bar owners in a lawsuit against the state. “We want the same opportunity to meet the same health measures as our direct competitors have the opportunity to do.”
The Arizona Department of Health Services has begun reviewing applications for reopening from Arizona businesses. As of Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m., ADHS said it has received more than 1,000 applications. Just 47 businesses have been approved for reopening and 200 have been denied.
View Mitch Carr's full Twitter thread from the day below: