July 24, 2020 | BY MORGAN GSTALTER | TargetLiberty.org |
“Colorado’s governor announced a renewed crackdown on social activity Tuesday, as the state faces a sharp rise in new cases of the Chinese coronavirus. Jared Polis (D) issued a temporary executive order decreeing that bars and restaurants in the state have to stop selling alcohol at 10 p.m. starting this weekend. They argue that people who’re under the influence of alcohol will lose their inhibitions and forget about social distancing. The order will initially be in effect for 30 days.
The problem is Polis doesn’t have any evidence that bars and restaurants are actually helping to spread the disease – but the restrictions are likely to be a heavy blow for an industry that’s already seeing a high rate of business failures thanks to the pandemic. All bars and nightclubs that don’t serve food have been closed by executive order since late June, but even before that, they were struggling badly. Polis’ own figures show sales were down 80% through April and May. A slow recovery began in June, but the new order could crush that.
Now the Tavern League of Colorado, which represents more than 200 bars and restaurants affected by the new rule, has filed suit in Denver District Court. The League says, “Defendants have singled out bars and restaurants for unfair and different treatment, despite the lack of any evidence bars and restaurants are unique vectors for the spread of COVID-19.”
We’ll keep an eye on how this case plays out.”