The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has suspended the liquor licenses to a dozen bars for 30 days after they failed to comply with state health restrictions put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus.
"Protecting the health and safety of Texans during this pandemic is our top priority," TABC executive director Bentley Nettles said in an announcement, reports The Hill. "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."
The agency released videos and photos Sunday, showing patrons were packed into bars in Forth Worth and Houston. Other bars with suspended liquor licenses are located in Austin, Lubbock, El Paso, and Dallas. TABC said the bars could next face a 60-day suspension if they continue violating state restrictions.
Texas has reached phase 3 of its reopening efforts, which means restaurants must limit their indoor capacity to 75% and bars to 50%, but social distancing must still be maintained.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are surging in Texas, where health officials reported 4,430 new cases Saturday, a new high for the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was one of the first governors in the nation to allow initial quarantine orders to expire, beginning in early May, and allowed the state to enter its third phase of reopening in early June. Currently, Texas authorities have reported more than 111,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,182 deaths.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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