From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Homewood: State regulators have suspended the alcohol license of a Birmingham-area bar over alleged violations of the state’s pandemic health order in what an official described as the first such case under COVID-19 rules. Regulators accused Grocery Brewpub in Homewood of violating rules about face mask requirements, occupancy limits and social distancing, Alabama ABC spokesman Dean Argo told WBMA-TV. The emergency suspension issued Tuesday was Alabama’s first license suspension linked to pandemic health rules, he said. Photos shared recently on social media showed people packed into the nightspot with few face masks visible. Bar owner Rayford Cook told the station the business was cited for violating Alabama’s mask ordinance, which requires facial coverings in public. “I look forward to our upcoming hearing regarding this matter and addressing it so we can provide a safe environment for patrons to enjoy in the future,” Cook
HOMEWOOD, Ala. (AP) State regulators have suspended the alcohol license of a Birmingham-area bar over alleged violations of the state’s pandemic health order in what an official described as the first such case under COVID-19 rules.
Regulators accused Grocery Brewpub in Homewood of violating rules about face mask requirements, occupancy limits and social distancing, Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control spokesman Dean Argo said Thursday. The emergency suspension, issued Tuesday, was Alabama’s first license suspension linked to a failure to enforce health rules meant to slow the spread of the virus, he said.
Argo said inspectors visited the business after receiving several complaints, including one that included a photograph circulated on social media showing a huge, unmasked crowd at the bar. ABC staff met with the management to discuss the problem, Argo said, and they returned Friday night to see the same situation despite the earlier discussion.