BISBEE, Ariz. — Southern Arizona businesses are getting back to business, if they were given the green light by the State of Arizona.
Two of those businesses are in Bisbee -- a town that brings in hundreds of tourists.
KGUN9 On Your Side traveled to the town known as the 'Queen of the Copper Mines' to hear how the Bisbee Grand Hotel and Bar was able to open the doors to their bar and restaurant through the attestation process.
“We were completely shut down back in March. We were allowed to open up in the middle of May, and then shut down again at the end of June,” explained Steve Drew.
Drew is the co-owner of the Bisbee Grand Hotel and Bar who says the only business he could do was welcome about 22 people into their hotel at a time.
“We’re allowed to operate as a bar that's offering dining service, right. So we really only, have the bar open while the kitchen is actually opened in serving food so right now,” he explained.
When filling out anattestation application, businesses must show they are going above and beyond to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Related: Benchmarks released for paused businesses to safely reopen in Arizona
“[We are] meeting all the regulations in the attestation. We're limiting capacity even further, you know, then, what's allowed. You can see that the seats on all the tables and chairs are spaced out to follow social distancing. We have increased our staff so that we can actually maintain and sanitize and monitor activities," said Drew.
Drew added his staff has been trained to ensure everyone is following guidelines.
“They have to wear masks and they have to be vigilant, even more so than in a bar. They have a substantial amount of work that they already have to perform and then to regulate all the social distancing and the behavior of the customers-- it's a lot of work," he explained
Drew said while things are starting to liven up again, the town still has a long way to go.
