GHRA working on guidelines, possible timeline for bar reopening

The wheels are spinning ever faster toward the reopening of bars. Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association President Mary Rhodes said all indications are that the administration is eying such a move, and officials have reached out for help in drafting specific, new guidelines.

"Public Health and of course the governor's office, we've been working with them on the economic advisory committee and working group and asking for bars for a while as well as for indoor dining at 50-percent since about December," she said. "So we were really hoping that it would come a little earlier but regardless I think it's a good sign that they're now willing to reconsider the reopening of bars."

The economic advisory group has reached out, Rhodes said, to make sure the industry is ready with a draft plan ahead of a meeting with the governor. She also met with several local bar owners last night to brief them on a possible timeline.

"What I don't want to see happening is you know we should give the business owners some time to prepare, I know that when announcements have been made it's like effective the very next day or in a couple of days," Rhodes said. "And we have time to get businesses to prepare, even moving restaurants from 25 to 50-percent occupancy or planning to open after being shut down for 6 to 11 months theres a lot of things you have to do with your facility to get it prepared."

For bar owner Phil Roberto of the venue, the waiting game has been quite frustrating.

"This is our second shutdown and it's been twice as long than the first," he said. "Then every time we hear that rumor, oh bars are gonna open next week, y'know there's gonna be a change, there's gonna be an executive order, and it doesn't happen, you get your hopes up one week and it's a huge letdown."

Roberto believes the bar industry understands the importance of health and safety protocols and will do whatever is needed to dispel the notion that bars are high risk.

"And I think we demonstrated that very well during the first opening back in June," he said. "There's been no actual evidence that a bar on island has been the cause of an outbreak. Our names as bar owners are on the line in terms of making sure that we do provide a safe environment not only for our customers but for our staff.

Rhodes said the governor is expected to start reviewing some draft protocols as early as next week.

"This is the first time in 10 months, or first, time since the second lockdown that we've been asked to really start the conversation going regarding bars, and so I think that's positive," she said.

And for bar owners who've been watching other businesses reopen ahead of them over the past months, it can't happen soon enough. Cheers.