Several Fort Worth bars plan to reopen on May 1 despite coronavirus pandemic
Several bars in the Fort Worth Stockyards plan to reopen on May 1, including one which said it may do so regardless of coronavirus shutdown orders.
The Basement Bar announced on Facebook on Tuesday that it planned on opening, saying it had “played the game long enough.” The Facebook post created a stir on social media with thousands of people commenting either their support or opposition to the reopening. The owner of the bar, Johnny Cooper, referred the Star-Telegram’s questions to PR spokesman Fred Barnett.
Thirsty Armadillo and Pearl’s Dance Hall also plan to open their doors to the public on May 1, said Barnett, who is also the spokesman for those bars.
Tarrant County’s stay-at-home order currently does not allow bars to operate, except for to-go or curbside service. Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide declaration also shutters non-essential businesses, although Abbott said he would announce new guidelines on April 27 for businesses.
It is unclear whether bars will be allowed to reopen under Abbott’s new guidelines, or if Tarrant County or Fort Worth would allow them to do so.
On Tuesday, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said the county is still two, three or maybe four weeks away from lessening restrictions.
Brandon Bennett, director of Fort Worth Code Compliance, said businesses cannot reopen until they have permission, and officials are “ready, willing and able” to enforce the provisions of the shutdown.
The city and county regulations are enforceable through a $1,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail.
In its Facebook post, the Basement Bar called the coronavirus shutdown “nonsense” and “grossly over exaggerated.” Barnett said he does not think the virus is as widespread or as deadly in Texas as officials say.
“I believe that they’ve done a great job of scaring everybody,” he said. “My family is absolutely terrified. And I personally don’t feel that that level of terror is justified with what we have.”
Barnett said for the Basement Bar, which calls itself “The World’s Smallest Honky-Tonk,” they plan on limiting capacity to 25 to 50 people and trying to keep everyone at a 6-foot distance from each other.
On the bar’s first Facebook post, which was removed by Facebook for violating community guidelines, the bar said they did not want “to be insensitive or undermine anyone who feels they have or knows someone has has (sic) lost their life to ‘covid19.’”
Barnett said he does not think officials have released enough information about coronavirus. For example, he said CDC publishes the number of people with coronavirus, but neglects to include the number of people who have recovered.
Tarrant County releases the number of cases and recoveries every day.
As of Thursday, Tarrant County confirmed 1,559 COVID-19 cases, including 265 recoveries and 45 deaths. Tarrant County also reported a single-day high of new coronavirus cases Thursday, with 129 new positive tests. County health officials cautioned Thursday’s report likely includes some test results that had been delayed.
Barnett said at the Basement Bar, they’re considering giving people face masks, taking temperatures at the door and installing ultraviolet lights in the bar.
The idea that ultraviolet light might kill coronavirus has been debated in the scientific community, but the World Health Organization has warned people that UV lamps should not be used to try and fight the coronavirus.
Some scientists found a type of ultraviolet light known as UV-C may be able to kill the virus, but the method is not safe to use on human skin since even brief exposure to UV-C light can cause burns and eye damage, according to a research study from the University of California - Santa Barbara.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 4:26 PM.
