Bars Will Reopen In El Paso Friday, Here Are The Rules To Follow

After being delayed a week, bars in El Paso are officially allowed to reopen, but with new guidelines to follow. The State of Texas allowed bars to reopen back on May 22nd but certain regions were delayed a week. One of those regions delayed was El Paso County due to the hospital capacity in the city being "too close for comfort," according to Governor Greg Abbott. Last week we spoke to El Paso City Mayor Dee Margo to find out if Phase 2 would be delayed again in the Sun City. Mayor Margo told us that the city needs to reopen to help give an economic boost to businesses in the area. That means that it's all systems go for bars in El Paso this Friday, May 28th. There are new rules and regulations that drinking establishments must follow to operate in the city. The entire list of guidelines for every reopening business can be found at Governor of Texas website under the "Strike Force To Open Texas" section, but here are the guidelines bars are being asked to enforce:

• Customers aren't allowed to hang out at the bar or in commonly trafficked areas
• Service can be provided only to seated customers
• Different groups of people should maintain 6 feet of distance from other parties (while seated, waiting to enter the bar, etc)
• Activities involving close human contact (aka dancing) are discouraged
• All pathways must be clear
• No tables of more than 6 people
• No tabletop items (utensils, condiments, etc) allowed on unoccupied tables
• Condiments provided only upon reuqest and must be in single-use (non-reuseable) portions
• Disposable menus only

Some bars in El Paso have already begun preparing to reopen and are requesting that guests make reservations before heading to the bar. This way they can alleviate the hassle of having lines outside and social distancing issues. Lost and Found in the Cincinnati area as well as Later, Later located in downtown El Paso are both requesting people make reservations this weekend.