Bars lose first round in challenge to closures

A temporary restraining order by a group of 11 Acadiana bar owners was denied in federal court in the U.S. District Court’s Western District of Louisiana, but there will be a hearing for a preliminary injunction on Aug. 17.
U.S. Western District Judge Robert Summerhays denied the restraining order Friday but set the hearing date at 10 a.m. Aug. 17 in Lafayette, according to KATC-TV 3.
The group, which includes Pool Do’s Sports Bar in Morgan City, had asked for the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Thursday against Gov. John Bel Edwards and State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning to stay the governor’s mandate limiting bars to to-go or delivery service.
The move came a day after the group had filed suit against Edwards and Browning in the same court in response to the governor’s mandate.
Edwards responded to the legal action via his verified Twitter account Friday.
While he said it is “unfortunate” that bars need to be closed and he understands that it has a negative impact on many Louisianans’ livelihoods, he said that medical professionals have deemed bars an environment that contributes to the virus’ spread so much that it cannot be opened in a safe manner. He said worldwide data have shown as much and it is the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s stance, too.
“We don’t take any delight in it, but at the end of the day, we are in the midst of a public health emergency,” he tweeted. “The way we believe we will get back to where Louisiana was in the early summer without having to go back to Phase One or Shelter at Home is to mandate masks, close bars to on premises consumption and reduce crowd size.”
Politics has played a role in these bar owners’ measure, something that is “unacceptable,” Edwards said.
“It’s interesting to me that people take issue with my orders, but they never note the fact that my orders are absolutely consistent with what the White House is telling states like ours,” he said. “None of these decisions are easy. I’ve mentioned that before, but it obviously is the right thing to do.
“The worst thing we can do right now is get complacent. We have seen a few good days of news, but one or two days is not a trend. The good times WILL roll again, but we have to wear our masks, wash our hands and wave at our neighbors from six feet away.”