Now that bars have been forced to once again shutter in all but three parishes around the state, establishment owners are struggling to hang on and aren’t really sure how long they’ll be able to survive amid a pandemic that shows no signs of going away.
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ latest executive order designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, closing all bars and mandating masks for everyone over the age of 8, went into effect Monday, July 13.
Though bar owners understand the public health threat, they’re frustrated.
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“I was able to reopen the River Room on June 6 but the crowds were sparse because there’s still nothing really going on downtown,” says Brad Watts, who also owns two restaurants, Cecilia downtown and K Street Grill under the Perkins Road overpass. “Now, we’ve had to close again and I don’t know how they make these decisions. If there are 15 people spaced out in the River Room, do they really have more chance of getting coronavirus than 200 people in the casino or 500 people in Walmart?”
As is the case elsewhere around the country, bars that attracted large crowds of young people in the immediate weeks after the economy began to reopen have proved to be the source of COVID-19 outbreaks. More than 100 new cases in June were traced to bars in Tigerland.
But owners of establishments that attract an older or professional crowd, like Watts’ River Room, feel they’ve been unfairly targeted because of problems created by less compliant crowds at college watering holes.
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“Bars are having a significantly negative effect under the new rules,” Baton Rouge Area Chamber President and CEO Adam Knapp says. “Those that served more of an upscale, professional crowd are feeling like they’re being targeted because of the Tigerland bars, even though they’ve been doing the right thing.”
Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says he’s hearing from bar and restaurant owners, especially those on Third Street, who are struggling to stay afloat. His agency is trying to promote local establishments through social media posts that go out almost daily. But it’s difficult to balance the promotional efforts with public health.
Read on for the rest of the story, which appeared in Daily Report‘s July 13 edition. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.