Bars Refuse To Close: More Businesses Ignore Lockdown As COVID Cases Rise
KEY POINTS
State restrictions led to public protests in some cases
CDC puts indoor dining in the high-risk category for COVID-19
A bar owner in Minnesota said remaining open in defiance of lockdown orders is about staying in business. It s just one of many trying to stay afloat as the economic destruction from the pandemic rages on.
Lisa Monet Zarza, the co-owner of the Alibi Drinkery in the suburbs of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, told The Washington Post on Friday she was staying open in defiance of state restrictions on indoor dining. She was sued earlier this week by the state attorney general for breaking the rules.
If you caught the news last night on channel 4, you may have seen a familiar and friendly face. Jeff LaBeau, the owner of the Depot Bar and Grill in Faribault, stated quite bluntly to those at a press conference held by Sen. Paul Gazelka, that he felt like I m on the Titanic in regards to owning a restaurant in Minnesota and the new Executive Order issued by Gov. Walz on Wednesday.
Wednesday was the day that Gov. Walz announced the extension of limiting bars and restaurants to only carry-out or delivery dining options, as well as a continued pause for indoor recreation facilities like bowling alleys.
Walz acknowledged that outdoor dining would not be a particularly effective solution during the winter months in Minnesota, but said breweries had requested the provision and are equipped with heat lamps and fire pits.
Walz also on Wednesday signed a $216 million relief package that s designed to provide support for small businesses and workers. Approximately $88 million in relief funds will go directly to restaurants, bars and gyms, he said. This is the way this should be done. This is the way most nations in the world have done it, Walz said of the bill. This is the way we did it back in May, when the pandemic started: If you re going to ask businesses to sacrifice for the good of public health, it needs to be accompanied with the economic benefits.
Lakeville bar has license suspended after opening to large, maskless crowd
The State of Minnesota also suspended the license of a Princeton bar, with another facing a suspension.
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The State of Minnesota has suspended the license of two bars that opened Wednesday in defiance of the COVID-19 dine-in shutdown, while another is facing a license suspension for opening this past Friday.
Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville and Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton have been served with 60-day liquor license suspensions for blatantly violating Gov. Walz s executive order, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (DPS-AGED).
State fines Mission Tavern, suspends license Written By: Gabriel D. Lagarde | 8:22 pm, Dec. 16, 2020 ×
People protesting the shutdown stand on County Highway 3 in front of Mission Tavern offering free pizza Saturday, Dec. 12, in Mission Township. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
A coalition of Minnesota businesses mostly restaurants and bars are defying a new mandate from Gov. Tim Walz that prohibits services like indoor dining in the coming weeks.
Walz announced Wednesday, Dec. 16, he would extend an order keeping restaurants and bars closed for indoor service and would authorize elementary schools to reopen with coronavirus mitigation measures in place.
Walz also announced more state aid will be distributed to struggling bars and restaurants, with $88 million to be released in the coming days. The bill includes a further $114.8 million is to be allocated to the state’s 87 counties, which will distribute the monies to local businesses as they