Bars to remain closed for two more weeks in Pahrump

“Our community is dying.”

It was a bleak statement made during the most recent Nye County Commission meeting and one shared by many in the community who fear that continued restrictions on bars in Pahrump could result in complete ruin for individuals and families who rely on those establishments, not only for their livelihood but for their mental health and well-being as well.

Local bar owners and employees, along with those sympathetic to their plight, flocked to the commission’s Sept. 1 meeting to lament the forced closure of area bars, sharing a gamut of distressing personal tales in the hope that those words would somehow spur action by the state that would allow them to reopen their businesses and go back to work.

That hope was dashed two days later during the state’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force meeting, held Sept. 3. Nye County had presented an updated assessment and action plan that included a direct request to allow all of Pahrump’s bars, pubs, taverns, breweries, distilleries and wineries to reopen, a request that was essentially denied. However, the task force did say it would take up the request again in two weeks, so local bar owners will simply have to cross their fingers for a more positive outcome at that time.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com