BOISE, Idaho — At midnight Friday night, Idaho entered the third phase of Gov. Brad Little's plan to reopen the state's economy. Now bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, and waterparks can reopen with groups of up to 50 people.
Those businesses were originally set to reopen in the fourth phase of Gov. Little's plan but business owners are now thankful that they were able to reopen two weeks sooner.
Christopher Leverenz, the manager of The Symposium, told KTVB on Saturday that it has been a long time coming.
"We opened up at 1, we had like three people waiting for us to unlock the door," he said. "This bar has been here for 46 years and the people coming in here have been coming here for many many years."
Under stage three of Rebound Idaho, bars and nightclubs are finally able to reopen two months after being forced to close down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It feels real good. It's nice to get back to some sort of normalcy," Leverenz added.
Along with The Symposium, Barbarian Brewing opened its doors this weekend after taking some extra precautions.
"At both of our Barbarian taprooms we've cut down to half capacity so at Garden City that's 24 people inside, downtown it's 50," co-owner and business manager Bre Hovley said.
She added that employees are wearing masks and gloves, sanitizing menus, and tables after each guest visit, and practicing social distancing.
Dugan Jackman is the activities and events coordinator for The Balcony and said that the bar, in addition to practicing social distancing, they're also checking the temperatures of staff members before they start their shifts.
"This situation is new to all of us, we ask for your patience and understanding as we take these steps and precautions but we want to get back to partying and dancing with our friends and family just like everyone else, but we want people to feel safe and healthy," Jackman said. "We miss everyone, we want you back, but we want you to be safe."
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