BOISE, Idaho — The Central District Health board voted unanimously during a special meeting on Thursday to approve a petition from a group of Boise bars owners who are seeking permission to reopen their businesses to the public.
But the approval comes with a big caveat: bars will not be allowed to reopen until schools in Ada County are moved to the "yellow" category for reopening.
The petition recently submitted to CDH by a group of 10 bar owners asks the health district for permission to reopen 12 listed bars on the condition that the bars put into place specific coronavirus prevention measures.
Those measures include safety measures for employees, sanitation of facilities, safety measures for customers, and bar owner protocols for monitoring, tracking and reporting any positive or likely COVID-19 cases to CDH.
At the meeting on Thursday, the board initially voted against the plan to allow the bars to reopen immediately, with three board members from Ada County - Diana Lachiondo, Ted Epperly and Jane Young - expressing concerns about reopening bars while schools are still in the "red" category of reopening.
Attorney David Leroy, who is representing the bar owners in the petition said the vote was "very, very, very disappointing," and added that the economic consequences are devastating to the businesses.
He noted that some bars in the city have already reopened as restaurants "by putting in a hot plate or a pizza oven."
Lachiondo then made a motion to allow the bars to reopen once Central District Health designates schools in Ada County in the yellow category. The board approved that motion unanimously.
All Ada County schools are currently in the red category, which indicates significant community spread of COVID-19. Yellow indicates mild to moderate community spread.
CDH Director Russ Duke, who worked with Leroy and the bar owners to put together an agreement for the petition and who strongly encouraged the board to approve it said he believes Ada County schools will be moved to the yellow category very soon, possibly as early as next week.
Duke noted that CDH staff would work with each bar to confirm that they have implemented the safety measures and protocols before allowing the bar to reopen.
All bars and nightclubs in Ada County were forced to close on June 24 after a spike in COVID-19 cases, including a cluster of cases linked to several downtown Boise bars, prompted CDH to roll the county back to Stage 3 of the reopening plan.
RELATED: 'It's devastating': Boise bar owners react to second shutdown as Ada County moves back to Stage 3
Below are the 12 Boise bars will be allowed to reopen once schools are moved to yellow:
- Tom Grainey's, 109 South Sixth Street
- Silly Birch, 507 Main Street, Boise
- Whiskey Bar, 509 Main Street
- The Fireside Inn, 1610 North 31st Street
- Atlas, 108 South 11th Street
- The Torch Lounge, 1826 Main Street
- The Torch 2, 610 South Vista
- Jim's Alibi, 2710 South Broadway
- End Zone, 1010 South Broadway Ave
- Mulligans/Olympic Bar, 1009 West Main Street
- The Cactus Bar, 517 West Main Street
- 8th Street Entertainment, 800 West ldaho Street
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