Orange County Bar Owner Faces Year In Jail For Opening During COVID Lockdown
On 12/31/20 at 8:45 PM EST
Roland Michael Barrera, the owner of the Eastend Bar in Costa Mesa, California, could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for keeping the establishment open despite COVID-19 mitigation restrictions calling for the closure of non-essential businesses, city officials said Thursday.
Citing a rise in COVID-19 cases statewide, public health officials in California issued a limited stay-at-home order in November. Costa Mesa restaurants were ordered to be closed at 10:00 p.m. with only delivery and take-out orders to be provided after that time. The Eastend Bar declined to follow those orders despite repeated visits from authorities.