Authorities closed downtown bar Drink Texas on Saturday night for violating Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that bans bars from opening during the pandemic, KSAT reports.
Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, city officials received 48 calls regarding violations of public health ordinances, including one that reported the Navarro Street establishment was open and serving guests.
The bar had posted on social media that it would be open, but those posts have since been deleted, according to multiple workers in the local hospitality industry. Drink employee Samantha Hernandez shared online that she would be working at the downtown location from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Greg Barrineau, the owner of Drink Texas, told KSAT he’s concerned about the increasing number of COVID-19 cases but doesn’t believe Abbott’s executive order closing bars is fair. “We just want it to be fair, if it’s proven and justified that it’s not safe to be in a bar, then no bar should be open — a restaurant-type bar or a regular bar,” he told the station.
The city gave Barrineau a citation for opening the bar.
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This article appears in Jul 1-14, 2020.
