Lang
6/27/20
Local health officials have attributed the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in young adults in Johnson and Story Counties to those areas’ college communities with increasingly active bar scenes. Now many of those bars are shutting back down.
Governor Kim Reynolds allowed Iowa bars to reopen on May 28th if they followed proper social distancing and hygienic guidelines. But after a recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases in Iowa City, especially among young adults, many downtown bars say they’re shutting down again until the numbers drop.
Jason Zeman, owner of Studio 13, The Yacht Club and Eden Lounge, told The Cedar Rapids Gazette that his bars were open for two weeks before shutting down again on Thursday. He says he will check the COVID-19 numbers again in two weeks to see if he should reopen. If not, he plans to check the numbers weekly until he feels it’s safe to open again.
Other downtown bars that have temporarily closed up again include DC’s, The Fieldhouse, and The Airliner.
Restaurants are also taking more precautions. Dumpling Darling announced it was shutting down for two weeks after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.