Arizona health officials have rejected applications from dozens of bars and gyms to reopen with enhanced safety measures, after approving several such requests Tuesday.
Health officials have so far rejected reopening plans from 40 bars that serve food, 59 gyms and one movie theater.
Bars, gyms, water parks and theaters closed by Gov. Doug Ducey’s June 29 order can’t reopen without approval until the county they are in reaches either a “moderate” or “minimal” spread rate of coronavirus.
Businesses can apply to the Department of Health Services to reopen even while the spread is “substantial,” which is where Maricopa County is today. About 800 businesses have applied to reopen, offering to limit occupancy beyond DHS recommendations and using other measures to keep customers and workers safe.
On Tuesday, 38 businesses got the green light from DHS after the agency reviewed their plans to reopen. Most were gyms, but five bars that serve food also got the OK.
DHS officials said Wednesday that most of the additional applications they reviewed were rejected, including Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, Brennan’s Pub and Grub, Wandering Tortoise and three Whining Pig locations.
Gyms that got rejected include Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness and the Flagstaff Athletic Club.
Businesses that got rejected may appeal and enter an informal settlement process with DHS. But based on the hundreds of applications, it may not be a timely process.
It’s possible the county a rejected business is in could reach a benchmark that would allow the business to reopen before such a settlement could be reached.
The reopening guidelines use three levels of community transmission: substantial, moderate and minimal. The less community spread, the more businesses can be open and the higher occupancy they can allow.
Community spread is based on: cases per 100,000 people, percentage of positive test results and percentage of hospital visits due to COVID-like illnesses.
Counties must meet thresholds in all three areas for at least 14 consecutive days to move to a lower transmission category.
Businesses that have been approved to reopen said they have agreed to a host of extra precautions.
The Village Health Clubs, for example, will take temperatures of guests and workers, spent $120,000 on new air systems at its facilities, and can provide limited contact tracing if a customer or worker tests positive for COVID-19 by notifying others who were in the gym at the same time, President Carol Nalevanko said.
All four Village gyms in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Chandler won approval from DHS to reopen.
Gallagher’s Dining and Pub in Lake Havasu, which also won DHS reopening approval, agreed to not use barstools to prevent guests from congregating at its bar, and limit occupancy to 25% of normal, owner Randy Leonard said.
The state provided The Arizona Republic with a list of businesses that have applied to reopen and been approved or rejected. The list did not include addresses for the business, or the city of each location.
Businesses approved to reopen:
Gyms
- Training for Warriors-Estrella
- Full Strength LLC SBA CrossFit Full Strength
- EoS Fitness
- Michelle Davis Pilates
- AZ on the Rocks – Indoor Climbing, Inc.
- Raise The Bar Training Studio
- MixFit Phoenix LLC
- Prowess Pole Fitness LLC
- KYS 1994 LLC DBA Club Pilates (multiple locations)
- CrossFit 646
- CrossFit 646 North
- Pure Barre Tempe
- Martin Pear JCC and Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus
- Camelback Village Racquet & Health Club
- Gainey Village Health Club & Spa
- DC Ranch Village Health Club and Spa
- Ocotillo Village Health Club & Spa
- Bird Dog Pilates & Fitness
- TruHit Fitness Central Scottsdale
- Bump Fitness Club
- Sweatshop on Central; Sweat Shop Central LLC
- Gainster Fitness LLC
- HITZ FITNESS
- CrossFit Infinite Strength
- Spark CrossFit
- Hammer CrossFit
- IRON Girlz
- CrossFit Maricopa
Indoor theaters
- Invisible Theatre
- Alamo Chandler LLC
Bars serving food
- Mooney’s Irish Pub
- Chantilly’s Bar
- Bisbee Grand Hotel and Bar
- Gallagher #6 LLC
- Copper City Saloon
Businesses denied to reopen:
Bars serving food
- Rockabilly Grill
- PNKT Investments LLC dba Clubhouse Grill
- Brodies Tavern
- Brennans Pub & Grub
- The Oxbow
- Funny Farm Lounge
- Cactus Taproom LLC
- Cheers Tavern
- Harold’s Cave Creek Corral
- The Office Cocktail Lounge
- Three Canyon Beer and Wine Garden
- Thunderbird Lounge
- Roadrunner Restaurant and Saloon
- Irish Wolfhound Restaurant & Pub
- Azool Grill
- R.T.O’Sullivans
- Mountain View Pub
- Hi Fi Kitchen & Cocktails
- The Moon Saloon
- The Neighborhood LLC
- Longbranch Saloon
- The Lion’s Den
- Arizona Wine Collective
- Christies Tucson LLC
- Jewel’s Desert Sand
- The 44 Sports Grill
- The Wandering Tortoise
- Famous Sams #17
- Famous Sams #10
- Kimmyz On Greenway
- Kimmyz Tatum Point
- The Whining Pig Gilbert
- The Whining Pig Ahwatukee
- The Whining Pig Downtown
- Brennans Pub & Grub
- The Peacock Wine Bar LLC
- Main Street Billiards
- Collins Irish Pub and Grill
- Boondocks Patio and Grill
- Purple Turtle
Gyms
- Achieve Strength and Fitness
- HyTech Fitness DBA The Exercise Coach
- NichollsFit, LLC dba Anytime Fitness Moon Valley
- Desert Mountain Club
- Practical Fitness Training by Teresa, LLC
- Knockout Fitness
- ATF Maricopa LLC DBA Anytime Fitness Maricopa
- MegaFit LLC
- 4th AVE Gym Foothills
- 4th Avenue Gym
- Daddle Fitness LLC dba UFC Gym
- F45 Training Scottsdale Midtown
- American Sports Centers-Avondale
- Anytime Fitness
- Lee’s Karate and Cardio Kickboxing, LLC
- Truehit Fitness North Phoenix
- Tucson Country Club
- Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club
- Knockout Fitness
- Flagstaff Athletic Club
- Pole Power Fitness
- Planet Fitness
- Just Be Yoga
- F45 TRAINING EAST POINT 22
- Power and Exercise Fitness Center
- Row House Hilton Village
- Tucson Jewish Community Center
- Jabz Boxing Fitness for Women – Glendale
- Jabz Boxing Fitness for Women – Surprise
- Mesa Personal Training
- Smart Gym
- Planet Fitness Nogales
- Burn Total Body Conditioning
- Rocks and Ropes of Tucson
- Rocks and Ropes, the BLOC Inc.
- TruFusion
- Jeremy Scott Fitness
- Peaks Athletic Club
- Centropy Health and Wellness Center
- Jabz Boxing Fitness For Women (Peoria)
- Jabz Boxing Fitness For Women (Happy Valley)
- Northington Fitness and Nutrition
- Off The Grid Fitness LLC
- CycleBar Gilbert
- Yoga Spot LLC
- Pima Fitness LLC
- Elev8 Fitness, LLC
- Ignite Investments LLC dba Anytime Fitness Mesa
- Crunch Fitness – Gilbert
- Big Curve Fitness llc
- True Hot Yoga (multiple locations)
- Maximum Fitness
- Summit Health and Fitness
- VASA Fitness (multiple locations)
- Anytime Fitness
Theater
- Sawmill Theatre
Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.
