Two More El Paso Bars Closed Over COVID-19 Violations

Two more El Paso bar-restaurant liquor licenses were suspended and 8 others were warned after 400 establishments were inspected for COVID 19 safety compliance.

A team of Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents was sent to El Paso by Governor Greg Abbott to help local officers inspect and regulate area businesses to ensure they were following all COVID 19 safety protocols and mandates. This team was assembled and dispatched to El Paso partly in the wake of El Paso's incredibly high COVID 19 case numbers. The agents have since returned to their home bases after helping here in El Paso for the last few days leading up to Halloween. They helped investigate over 400 businesses for COVID 19 compliance and also helped respond to citizen complaints about businesses and private gatherings that were allegedly in violation of El Paso's health orders.

Our news partners at KVIA reported that Tortuga Sports Lounge, 126 Shadow Mountain, was one of the businesses hit with a 30-day liquor license suspension. A move that owner Ron Patterson called "unfair" and "ticky-tacky". (KVIA) The KVIA report added that of the over 400 businesses investigated, 2 had their liquor licenses suspended for 30 days and 8 were given warnings. The El Paso Sheriffs' Department was busy also, handling over 50 complaints about violations in far east El Paso County and other unincorporated areas of El Paso. Many of those complaints involved parties.

For more info on businesses cited, warned, suspended, etc; you can visit the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website. You can also find ways to contact the TABC by phone, email, etc, here.