What McLean order means for Boise restaurant, bar patrons, and what owners think of it
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean announced Thursday that she would order the closure of restaurants and bars for 30 days effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
That means people will have to use pickup, drive-thru or delivery options, McLean said at a news conference. The city will close parking meters in front of downtown restaurants so those spots may be used to pick up food, McLean said.
Violating the order will be a misdemeanor, McLean spokeswoman Karen Boe said in a text message, but the city is “focusing first on education.” The Boise Police Department will enforce it if enforcement is required, she said.
McLean’s announcement came a day after Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he would not order the shutdown of businesses or restaurants. Dozens of restaurant owners, mostly from Boise, have drafted a letter asking Little to shut down their industry immediately for 30 days and grant restaurant workers emergency unemployment compensation.
Some Boise restaurant owners said McLean did the right thing. Restaurants are closing every day in response to contagion fears and a loss of patronage. Hundreds of workers in Boise alone have lost jobs this week.
McLean also said:
▪ Child care operations and workers with licenses that expire in March or April will have their licenses extended for eight weeks to help ensure that the operations stay open. New child care workers who need to be licensed can be fingerprinted — a federal requirement — with an appointment at Boise City Hall, and they can apply for licenses online.
▪ Meetings of 17 city boards, commissions and committees will be suspended for 30 days.
The mayor used general authority granted by a longstanding state law for disasters but that the City Council clarified, at her request, when it rushed through an ordinance this week that provided specific details.
City buildings closed as COVID-19 cases rise
At least 23 states across the country have ordered restaurants to close at least somewhat for dine-in patrons, although many are still allowing takeout, delivery and drive-thru services. Several large cities, including New York, Miami and Washington, D.C., have similar restrictions.
Idaho had 23 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 5 p.m. Thursday, three of which were in Ada County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people to distance themselves from others and to avoid gathering in groups of 10 or more, something McLean encouraged as well.
City buildings have been closed since Tuesday, including City Hall and the Boise Public Library facilities, after the mayor declared a public emergency on Monday.
Bar owner Challenger lays off 100
Downtown Boise bar owner Ted Challenger, who operates Strangelove, Dirty Little Roddy’s and Amsterdam Lounge, said the city’s action is the best thing for the community.
Earlier in the week, Challenger had talked about staying open this weekend. On Thursday, he likened what he had said to “calling a bluff.”
“We were staying open to get the mayor’s attention, people’s attention,” he said by phone. “That our employees would rather risk this and work just so they had money to live by.”
Challenger is laying off about 100 employees, he said, but he still has to come up with money to pay their health insurance. “There’s some big challenges,” he said.
He said the city’s action makes it easier and faster for service-industry workers to collect unemployment.
“If this is civic action, our employees can go and apply to get automatic funding. They don’t have to go and look for jobs,” Challenger said. “They just sit tight and wait until this is over, and then return to work when we’re allowed to open again. So we don’t lose our staff. And they don’t go hungry.”
“In my opinion, this needs to be local level,” Challenger said. “Not state. Because I don’t think the state needs to close every restaurant and bar. Because there are some areas that are so isolated. I think a local authority can do a better job of what their communities need.”
“These are my opinions. I do not speak for all the bars,” Challenger added. “Everybody’s situation is so unique that I feel for everybody.”
Tavern owner Werner lays off 120
Many Boise restaurants did not wait for the city to force them to close. Barry Werner, co-owner of Tavern at Bown Crossing and Owyhee Tavern in downtown Boise, shut down his restaurants Thursday morning. He also closed his Eagle restaurant, Tavern at Eagle Island. Among the three, more than 120 employees were laid off.
Werner, like Challenger, signed the draft letter to the governor.
“We wanted the state to do it, because it might be better for us to get assistance from the state government,” he said. “The bottom line is, we’re trying to figure out the best way to get the best resources for owners of restaurants and their employees, so we can open up when this is over.”
He said he thinks mandatory closure is the right thing.
“Obviously, we’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime. It’s just awful for everybody.”
City commissions that won’t meet
- Airport Commission
- Parks and Recreation Commission
- Planning and Zoning Commission
- Design Review Committee
- Historic Preservation Commission
- Development and Impact Fee Advisory Committee
- Public Works Commission
- Arts and History Commission
- Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee
- Open Space and Clean Water Advisory Committee
- Ethics Commission
- Accessible Parking Commission
- Neighbors in Need Trust Fund Advisory Board
- Building Board of Appeals
- Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Board
- Special Events Team
- Electrical Board of Appeal
The Boise City Council will still hold meetings on Tuesdays to give updates on COVID-19 and address pressing matters, McLean said. It will address only “run-the-city items,” with no public hearings.
Boe said people will not be allowed to attend in-person and will be encouraged to watch via live stream.
McLean has the power to limit the number of people who gather and to cancel public meetings according to state code and the specific powers approved by the Boise City Council on Tuesday. She can also issue “isolation orders” or “quarantine orders,” which would require infected or exposed people to isolate themselves.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
.jpg)