Lap Dances, Karaoke, Late Hours: The Speakeasies of the Covid Era
State restrictions, and a surge in enforcement, have pushed some bars underground. Many have been hit with violations and face a challenging winter.
At Deja Vu on Staten Island, investigators said they found 40 people mingling behind a rolled-down front gate. Credit.Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Jan. 6, 2021
In Brooklyn, investigators arrived at a bar in December to discover exotic dancers giving lap dances to patrons behind a locked door as music blared, state officials said.
At a karaoke bar in Queens, officers found eight rooms filled with people and a manager, none wearing a mask. Just three days earlier, police had discovered a nearly identical scene at the same spot.