Governor Stitt's New COVID-19 Bar, Restaurant Restrictions Take Effect

New COVID-19 restrictions for bars and restaurants go into effect statewide Thursday.

Bar and restaurant patrons will see noticeable changes. Tables now must be separated by six feet, or a have sanitized barriers between them. They also must shut down at 11 p.m., except for curbside takeout or drive-thrus.

Many bars and restaurants say the time change will be the most difficult part.

"You know it won't look the same. Obviously, I think this is the goal of it, not to look the same. It's to create more safety and create more measurements to ensure we are having a safe environment," says Travis Case, a bar owner in the Oklahoma City metro.

Most of bars don't close normally until 2 a.m. during the week, closing at 11 p.m. now cuts off three hours of important business. Case says it will affect the bottom line.

However, Case also says this is a time where bars and restaurants need to work with Governor Stitt, and help play their part in reducing the spread.

A group of bars in downtown OKC feels differently, and is seeking an emergency injunction against the order. They say it unfairly singles out the industry, and violates different clauses of the U.S. Constitution.