3 Phoenix-area bars closed for COVID violations are allowed to reopen

PHOENIX – Three metro Phoenix bars that were shut down for violating state COVID-19 mandates have been cleared to reopen, authorities said Tuesday.

The Arizona Department of Health Services and Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control reached consent agreements with Glow Shots & Cocktails in Tempe and Bottled Blonde and Casa Amigos/Skylanes in Scottsdale.

All three bars already have resumed operations, according to their social media accounts.

The consent agreements, which are dated in September, detail the previous violations at each establishment and lay out new mandates that must be followed.

Many of the details are the same on all three agreements.

Dancing, live entertainment (including DJs) and ordering at the bar are explicitly prohibited.

Patrons and staff must wear masks except when eating or drinking. Customers are not allowed to stand while ordering, eating or drinking.

The bars are required to track occupancy hourly to make sure it is below 50% capacity and send logs to the health department each day.

For the first three weeks, the businesses must close by 10 p.m. If the health department signs off, they can then stay open until midnight for three weeks. Time restrictions will be lifted after that if the health department approves.

Each bar was required to pay a civil penalty of $3,000.

Failure to comply will result in another shutdown and more fines, according to the agreements.

Maricopa County bars and nightclubs were permitted to reopen after COVID-19 benchmarks were reached Aug. 27 as long as they operated as restaurants and followed protocols designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Within days, state officials had shut down Glow Shots, Bottled Blonde and Casa Amigos/Skylanes indefinitely for violating protocols.

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