SEATTLE — From the early days of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, states have wrestled with the best course of action for bars and nightclubs, which largely have their economic prospects tied to social gatherings in tight quarters. As the virus has pinched the industry’s lifeblood, bar owners in a handful of states are fighting in court against government orders that they stay closed.
But public health experts and top health officials, including the nation’s top infectious diseases official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said: When bars open, infections tend to follow.
Some states moved quickly to shutter bars early in the pandemic for months or longer, keeping them entirely closed or open only under very strict conditions. Many other states moved to reopen bars on a faster timeline only to shut them down again as viral case counts rebounded this summer.
“We’re big targets. It’s just wrong,” said Steve Smith, whose Nashville, Tennessee, businesses include honky-tonks that serve alcohol and cater to tourists. But some legal experts said public health authorities have broad power to close down any business they deem particularly risky.