Long Beach officials say they’re working on a plan to get bars safely reopened and—if a conference call between city officials and bar, brewery and winery owners is any compass—they will look a lot more like restaurants in layout and service; think bartenders in face shields or serving from behind plexiglass while patrons won’t be allowed to mingle, instead being limited to groups of no more than 6 people who must all be from a single household.

“What the state is seeking is for bars and breweries to have the same safety nets restaurants have,” said Kelly Colopy, Director of Health and Human Services, on the call. “So the question becomes: How can you as a bar owner set up your space in a way that acts like a restaurant in terms of how your patrons come to visit, how they sit, how they are served? These details are essential and how we at the Health Department can be ready for you when you can reopen.”

Mayor Robert Garcia, joined by Long Beach City Manager Tom Modica and Colopy, hosted the conference call to discuss the possibility of reopening.

“I have received a lot of questions about how some spaces can be open but others, like bars, can’t,” Garcia said. “I hear them and I want folks to know that we are following a complex timeline that the state has put out. The state has set the timeline of what can open and in what order… There’s often confusion when the governor says, ‘These certain industries can open’ but forgets the caveat that cities and counties have to meet certain requirements in order to do so. It’s not an immediate green light.”

On top of this, Garcia emphasized that since Long Beach applied for a “fast track” reopening in partnership with the county, Long Beach is forced to move with the county on reopenings.

Ultimately, all three officials—Garcia, Modica and Colopy—emphasized that despite permission to proceed from the state, public health officers ultimately determine what opens and what doesn’t. Those decisions are made using data. With over 100 deaths in Long Beach, and the county representing some of the worst concentration of positive COVID cases, “people are dying and the issue of COVID-19 remains very, very serious,” Garcia said.

Colopy and Garcia both noted that Long Beach’s health data is “trending toward the right direction,” which is why the city has been able to have openings at all, some of which include restaurants and gyms.

“We also know it’s frustrating because you probably see what I’m seeing. Restaurants are having gatherings that aren’t following guidelines,” Garcia said. “We understand that.”

And while Gov. Gavin Newsom announced bars can start opening statewide, many cities and counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have refrained from doing so.

“Bars, nightclubs, the performing arts and spectator sports are among the most unsafe spaces to reopen right now per the CDC,” Modica said. “The county and Long Beach is looking at the data and positivity rate to see how we can safely reopen the bar and brewery industry while also preparing for this Friday, when the governor is going announce another assortment of industries are permitted to open statewide.”