ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Breweries are now open, but, bars are still in limbo, waiting to hear when they’ll get the green light. Many bars we talked to simply did not want to comment about still being closed.

“Bars, people stay longer, they stay open later, I have a different dynamic about how people interact and behave in bars and again, I don’t want the viewers who are hearing this, that these are opinions, about behavior.. It’s just that that… that’s why we go to a bar,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

That was the governor Thursday explaining why breweries could open back up but not bars. Bars that make more than 50% of their money off food opened back up along with restaurants earlier this month.

The staff at The Red Velvet Underground fall into that category. The owners says she’s created a two drink limit unless customers order food, but she feels for the bars that still can’t open.

“Yeah I don’t understand why some of them can’t open because people do sit six feet apart and they do have somewhat of a kind of food service, they might not have a restaurant license but I think the state really needs to think about helping us more,” said Dori Martin the owner of the Red Velvet Underground.

She feels a lot of bars could adopt some of the changes she’s made to adhere to social distancing. they do however have a restaurant license, which a lot of bars do not. It’s possible bars could re-open next month.

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