Officials with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are suspending alcohol permits of bars and restaurants not following COVID-19 protocols.
TABC agents are entering bars as part of Operation Safe Open to ensure they're following protocols to slow the spread of COVID-19.
In San Antonio, agents suspended the permits of the Burnhouse, located at 4553 North Loop 1604 after a visit determined the business was not upholding social distancing protocols.
The requirements include indoor customer capacity limits of 50% for bars and 75% for restaurants, along with social distancing of at least 6 feet between groups of customers.
"Protecting the health and safety of Texans during this pandemic is our top priority," TABC Executive Director Bentley Nettles said. "We warned businesses TABC will have no tolerance for breaking the rules, and now, some bars are paying the price. I hope other establishments will learn from these suspensions."
TABC has the authority to suspend any license that poses a continuing threat to the public welfare. The agency reports a second violation will result in up to a 60-day suspension.
The Governor's Strike Force to Open Texas has developed specific guidelines bars and restaurants must follow to safely reopen.
The guidelines can be found at open.texas.gov.
TABC's resources for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic are at tabc.texas.gov/coronavirus.
Brian Kirkpatrick can be reached at Brian@TPR.org and on Twitter at @TPRBrian.
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