Bar Owner Discusses Social Distancing Enforcement

The owner of "Twelve 25", a Tuscaloosa bar the WAAY 31 I-Team visited over the weekend, is responding to claims that the bar has been overcrowded and unsafe amid the pandemic.

Waay-tv-dot-com.

Tonight - we're hearing from the owner of this crowded bar after the waay 31 i-team captured this video in tuscaloosa over the weekend.

Within the last two hours - tuscaloosa police confirmed they responded to a call around 11-30 saturday night about the bar - twelve-25 - being overcrowded.

You can see there's no space in between people - and no one wearing masks.

Waay 31's casey albritton is live after questioning the owner about why the bar got so crowded.

Casey?

The owner of the bar, jay jarrett, tells me his staff was in charge of making sure people stayed in their groups - and making sure that those groups were separated.

When i told him i was there and saw people had to squeeze by each other to move around, he told me it can be difficult to enforce social distancing.

Jay jarrett/ owner "our vip, which is normally reserved, we opened that up and a lot of people were spread out from that stand-point.

I can tell you that no matter how much my security and i suggest and recommend our guests spread out, they still have a way of coming together."

Owner of twelve-25, jay jarrett, says saturday night his staff was constantly trying to keep people seperated into the groups they came with.

I was there - and didn't see that happen.

Jay jarrett/ owner "it's hard to make that distinction if they arrived together or not but we try our best."

Jarrett says the bar's capacity is over 500--and right now they are limited to 50 percent...which is around 250 people.

He says saturday night there were about 180 people inside the bar.

I showed him this video i took of the crowd that night -- where there was no space between anyone.

Jay jarrett/ owner "when you come into twelve-25, the entry door, you came into our small bar area through the entrance of the big bar.

What i didn't see in the video was the other side of our venue."

I then showed him the video i took on the other side of the bar... casey albritton/ reporter "so this is before, and that was on the other side where the dj was."

Jay jarrett/ owner "so that's not our....that's our building...when i say the side, you go the part where the dj is, you got the vip area, and to your point, yes, we were below our capacity, but to your point, we also opened up the vip area over there to spread people out more."

Jarrett was correct, i did not get video of the vip area.

But it was unclear where that area was - since every part of the bar was opened up.

I was there for about 2 hours - and didn't see social distancing or masking inside the bar that night.

Jay jarrett/ owner "we are going to be constantly looking to adhere to all the rules and mandates out there.

If there's areas of improvements, whereas my security needs to be more on top in making sure people are definitely social distancing, more, then absolutely we will do those things."

Jarrett says he is requiring people to wear masks before they enter the building.

Bars are closed for the next 2 weeks under tuscaloosa mayor walt maddox's executive order.

But - twelve-25 can remain open since it's also a restaurant.

Restaurants in tuscaloosa are allowed to serve alcohol - as long as the customer is sitting