Local bars and public officials react to the new extension of operating hours

For Bars and restaurants like The Cozy Tavern in Lafayette being able to stay open an hour later, is essential to their business.

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Extending the time frame was something that not all public officials initially supported.

I talked with local leaders and a local bar and got their reaction to the decision.

For bars and restaurants like the cozy in lafayette being able to stay open an hour later..

Is essential to their business.

"it is a positive thing for us to get another hour and we will keep getting better and it will keep getting pushed back..

But i don't see the difference in allowing us to stay open till one or three right now."-brandon reed but for some public officials they don't see what the difference of staying open for another hour is either.

"i felt very strongly that the 12 o'clock curfew was fine..

And i still don't understand he difference between one hour."-mayor john dennis the cozy does a lot of their business later at night.

"we are a local bar locals come here we are right here with them and they have no where to go when we have to close and they are off work."- brandon and that's one reason lafayette mayor tony roswarski wanted to allow bars and restaurants to stay open later.

"there's a lot of places that depend on that time frame to actually stay in business.

So i think it's a good compromise that we can agree on that will help those businesses get through this very challenging time."- roswarski west lafayette mayor john dennis says he doesn't necessarily oppose mandate of bar staying open later.

"i don't think that it's bad policy.

I think that if you apply to it to a college community when you look at the age demograic and you look at the density of our population base it's very very difficult to enforce."-dennis.

But enforcing guidelines..

Is something that bar owners say..

They will continue to do.

Since their livelihood depends on it.

"we do our jobs we supply masks we supply sanitizer we use single use silver wear and plates and everything..

We do everything by the book."-brandon mayor john dennis says he (doesn't plan on changing the hours of operations in west lafayette..

He is confident that bars and restaurants will do their part to keep the community safe.

Indiana has seen a spike of covid-19 cases.

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