Bars, restaurants could lose license if they don’t follow health guidelines, TABC warns

HOUSTON – The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a warning to bars and restaurants that are not following state health guidelines as Texas continues to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a Monday tweet, the TABC said Texas bars and restaurants must do their part to keep Texas safe by following the checklist provided by the Open Texas Strike Force.

“Businesses can face license suspension if they don't follow the guidelines and pose an immediate danger to the public,” the TABC wrote.

During his news conference Tuesday, Abbott said that some Texas counties have a high rate of positive COVID-19 cases in people under the age of 30, which he said was typically a result of people going to bar-type settings.

That data helps officials put more measures in place to help contain the spread of coronavirus, and one of the measures is what the TABC announced, Abbott said.

“This is necessary to make sure that all of these businesses are following the protocols and standards that have been established for them to follow. Standards that were established by doctors knowing that if the standards were followed, there should not be an increase in the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said. “Because there have been pictures that I have seen about these bar-type setting where clearly the (guidelines) are not being followed, I think enforcements by TABC should bring these types of settings more into line to being safer standards.”

According to Abbott, bars and restaurants will face a 30-day suspension of their liquor license if they are found to be in violation of the guidelines. The suspension will be 60 days if there is another violation.

Click here to see the guidelines established by the Open Texas Strike Force.