Name: Drinking in the new year: State won't enforce bar, restaurant curfew on New Year's Eve
Brand: oklahoman.com
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Drinking in the new year: State won't enforce bar, restaurant curfew on New Year's Eve

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Josh Dulaney and David Dishman Bars across Oklahoma will be open as they close out 2020 thanks to an ongoing legal battle challenging Gov. Kevin Stitt’s ability to enforce an 11 p.m. curfew on some businesses.A temporary restraining order against Stitt and the Oklahoman Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission is being continued until Jan. 8, when a rescheduled hearing on the matter is set to occur.And in the meantime, there will be no enforcement of the curfew, clearing the way New Year's Eve for midnight countdowns, champagne toasts and choruses of "Auld Lang Syne" in bars across the state.“Our stance has not changed,” said Steven Barker, deputy director and general counsel for the ABLE Commission. “We won’t be enforcing the curfew until the court has made a final decision.”The curfewUnder the curfew, bars and restaurants are not allowed to serve food or alcohol for on-premise consumption from 11 p.m. through 8 a.m. the following morning.The curfew went into effect Nov. 19 as part of an executive order by Stitt.Agents from the ABLE Commission were tasked with regulating bar compliance with the curfew. Most bars were a non-issue, .The legal battleA collection of bar owners, represented by attorney Frank Urbanic, contend Stitt and the ABLE Commission don’t have the authority to enforce the 11 p.m. curfew.They were granted on Dec. 18. The restraining order was to be in effect until an evidentiary hearing could take place Dec. 30.The evidentiary hearing is being continued until Jan. 8, consequently extending the restraining order.Urbanic told The Oklahoman that extending the restraining order was key to the plaintiffs agreeing to delay the evidentiary hearing.“We’re just waiting to hear back from the defendants,” he said.Stallings made it clear in court the restraining order applied only to the six plaintiffs involved in the case, but ABLE Commission Director Keith Burt told The Oklahoman after the original hearing the agency would not be enforcing the curfew on any alcohol-serving establishments until after the court makes a final determination on the matter — a stance the agency continues to hold.The bar ownersThe curfew applies to bars and restaurants. But unlike most restaurants, .And New Year's Eve is one of the most lucrative nights of the year for bar owners. When , bar owners feared they’d lose business that holiday night.Some bar owners fear continued curfews would kill their business for good.Erik Deloera, owner of Señor Shots in Bricktown, lost his stepmother to COVID-19 despite precautionary measures. He considered closing the bar, he said, but realized that .“A lot of people that are against this, they still get to go to their jobs, or they are people that are in salaried positions — in my position being self-employed you don’t know what you’re going to make,” Deloera said. “I can’t just sit at home and pray that it’s going to get better. I’ve got to try and do something."The original restraining order provided some temporary relief for bar owners. They responded by taking full advantage of the lack of curfew.“Every night’s going to be a big thing until the 30th,” said Daniel Capps, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit and owner of the Redneck Yacht Club in Oklahoma City.Now, that timeline is extended a little further.The CDC recommendationsThis entire legal battle is playing out amid .The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying home to celebrate the new year.If you are celebrating with people outside your household, preventive measures the CDC recommends include: wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and wash your hands.

Josh Dulaney and David Dishman Bars across Oklahoma will be open as they close out 2020 thanks to an ongoing legal battle challenging Gov. Kevin Stitt’s ability to enforce an 11 p.m. curfew on some businesses.A temporary restraining order against Stitt and the Oklahoman Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission is being continued until Jan. 8, when a rescheduled hearing on the matter is set to occur.And in the meantime, there will be no enforcement of the curfew, clearing the way New Year's Eve for midnight countdowns, champagne toasts and choruses of "Auld Lang Syne" in bars across...

Drinking in the new year: State won't enforce bar, restaurant curfew on New Year's Eve

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