Coronavirus Lawsuit: Nevada Bars Sue Over State’s Shutdown Order As Coronavirus Cases Climb

With coronavirus cases reaching an all-time high in Nevada, 37 bars in the state have filed a lawsuit to prevent Gov. Steve Sisolak from closing down establishments as part of his new shutdown order.

In the lawsuit, the bars claim that they are being targeted by the order from Sisolak and that they are in compliance with the reopening mandates, which require social distancing and face coverings, USA Today reported.

According to lawyers for the bars’ legal firm, Bailey-Kennedy, “Gov. Sisolak has singled out this particular group.”

As part of the governor’s order, bars that are located in seven Nevada counties must return to its Phase 1 restrictions as coronavirus cases rise in the state. For drinking establishments, this means that they must close if they do not serve food for curbside pickup.

Nevada joins other states such as California in reclosing certain businesses such as bars and restaurants as cases of coronavirus continue to climb.

The lawsuit specifically points out that the order “does not close home improvement stores, water parks, casino floors, or casino pools, or other businesses found to have similar (or more serious) compliance issues.”

As much as 80% of bars complied with state checks for social distancing on July 3 while only 39 businesses were cited for not complying with safety measures from June 26 to July 10, USA Today noted. None of the businesses cited served food.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, comes as Clark County in Southern Nevada reported the most COVID-19 cases it has ever seen in a single day with 1,021 new confirmed cases of the virus, according to the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

Las Vegas is part of Clark County, which has reported a total of 24,824 cases of the coronavirus and 498 deaths. Statewide, Nevada has nearly 30,000 coronavirus cases and over 600 deaths.