Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome has asked the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to reopen Baton Rouge city bars, provided the parish’s number of COVID-19 cases falls below the state positive benchmark when new figures are released on Wednesday.
Parishes must have a five percent or less positivity rate for at least two weeks before loosening bar restrictions. East Baton Rouge Parish has stayed below 5% since the week ending Sept. 16, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. 
Fred’s owner Jason Nay said he plans to reopen Fred’s Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. He said all of the bars in Tigerland are under the same license and will likely follow suit. 
“We’re not expecting any bad news,” Nay said.
Fred’s hours will be from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. The bar will allow patrons to make reservations through an app called LineLeap. 
“The last thing Fred’s wants is a line of 300 people,” Nay said.
Only 100 guests will be permitted on premise at Fred’s between the outside and inside areas and all customers must be over the age of 21. Tables will be spaced in accordance with social distancing guidelines and live music is prohibited. 
All bars in Baton Rouge without food service would be limited to 25 percent capacity or 50 people, whichever is less. 
Tigerland has been closed since Gov. John Bel Edwards issued statewide bar restrictions on July 11.
A month prior to the restrictions, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak in connection to several Tigerland bars. The department received at least 100 reports of patrons and staff testing positive for COVID-19. Employees at JL’s Place, Reggie’s and Fred’s reportedly tested positive for the virus. Everyone who visited Tigerland the weekend before June 19 was instructed to quarantine for 14 days. 
Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard said when students are off campus they should follow the CDC recommended protocols and state mask mandates. 
“We also hope that business owners will be helping to enforce these protocols as well,” Ballard said.