SAN ANTONIO – Texas bar and nightclub owners are outraged after having to close down their establishments again due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott ordered all bars across the state be closed again and that restaurants scale back to 50% capacity.
Highest number of COVID-19 cases in a single day reported in San Antonio, Bexar County
In a Facebook post on the Texas Bar & Nightclub Alliance Convention’s page, the organization stated they support their members’ constitutional right to protest the recent order by keeping their businesses open.
The TBNA said they had heard from many of its members who were displeased about having to close down again.
“Our businesses have once again unjustly been indefinitely closed without one shred of scientific evidence that bars and nightclubs pose any more of a public health hazard than a restaurant, grocery store, big box retailer, convenience store, health club, hair salon or the many other business segments that cater to the public throughout the state of Texas,” the statement said.
The organization has hired attorney Brent Webster and his firm, Edwards Sutarwalla, PLLC, to represent them as they file a lawsuit against the state.
The group plans to file the lawsuit in both state and federal court this week, seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) to end the governor’s current order.
On Friday, in an interview with KVIA in El Paso, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed regret about the reopening process he spearheaded during the coronavirus pandemic, saying he should not have allowed bars to reopen as quickly.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has already suspended liquor permits for two bars that defied the governor’s executive order.
KSAT 12 reached out to the head of the TBNA, but he said they have no comment and that everything is in the hands of the lawyers.