BOISE — The public health order released by Central District Health yesterday requires all bars in Ada County to close their doors.
'R Bar' and 'Suds Tavern' are two of the bars that had to shut down again. Health officials say bars and night clubs were a significant factor in the recent increases in positive COVID-19 cases.
Although 'R Bar' and 'Suds Tavern' have not had any COVID-19 cases, they still took extra precautions to keep their bars safe for staff and customers.
"We did extra sanitation measures. If someone got up, we sprayed their chair and their area down with alcohol, and we cut our capacity to 30%," co-owner of 'Suds Tavern,' Scott Burney says.
He says he suspected there would be another shutdown.
"To be reopened and then to shut down 23 days later was really tough," Burney says.
He also says that while business in the bar stops, their bills do not.
"It's just so hard that we have to spend our savings, that we've worked so hard to save on something that is out of our control," Burney says.
Burney, along with 'R Bar' owner, Eddie Rasachanh, say they understand the need to keep everyone healthy, but they also need to keep their business alive.
"I want the community to be safe, and obviously, this is pandemic, and we need to address and take it seriously. With that being said, we can't just sit back and lose our livelihoods, lose our homes and lose everything we've worked so hard for," Burney says.
Both owners say they are unsure of when they will be allowed to reopen.
