UpdatedThu, Feb 4, 2021 at 3:04 pm ET
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Three more restaurants were shut down by the Department of Agriculture in Pennsylvania. ( Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)
PENNSYLVANIA Enforcement of restaurants in violation of COVID-19 protocols continues in Pennsylvania, but the number of new establishments willing to stand in open defiance seems to be diminishing.
Just three restaurants were ordered to be shut down by the Department of Agriculture s Bureau of Food Safety over the most recent enforcement period, covering the week from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31.
That s tied for the the smallest number of restaurants shut down in a single week since mid-December. Just three restaurants were shut down the previous week, as well, following several weeks of anywhere from over a dozen to up to 40 shut downs being announced.
15 More Restaurants Shut Down For Violations In PA: See Full List yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The state Department of Agriculture shut down 21 restaurants last week for violating COVID mitigation orders.
While restaurants were allowed to reopen Jan. 4 following a three-week shutdown ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf, they still must abide by capacity limits of 25% to 50%, masking of employees, and limits on alcohol sales.
Each of the restaurants ordered to be shut down were found to be operating in violation of the orders, and management refused to make corrections while an inspector was present, officials said.
The Department of Agriculture inspects restaurants only in counties that do not have health departments .They do not perform restaurant inspections in Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Three Lancaster County restaurants are among 24 businesses the state ordered to close last week for violations of COVID-19 mitigation requirements.
The âclosed by noticeâ orders from the state Department of Agriculture were issued for the week ending Jan. 10. A three-week ban on indoor dining was not in place then, but there are still limits on indoor dining as well as masking requirements for employees, among other continuing rules. Lancaster city, which does its own restaurant inspections, did not issue any closure orders last week.
An agriculture department spokeswoman said the 24 restaurants were given closure orders after they refused to correct violations of dining capacity limits or masking rules while an inspector was present.