Tracey's bar shut down after coronavirus violations during Monday's Saints game - NOLA.com

cicingwos.blogspot.com

Six months after Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Restaurant was the site of one of the city's first crackdowns on large crowds, officials have shut down the watering hole for failing to comply with coronavirus restrictions.

The closure comes after the establishment posted a video to its Twitter feed showing unmasked patrons at tables throughout the business cheering during Monday’s Saints game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The clip drew immediate backlash on social media from residents who accused the bar of creating a dangerous environment for the contagion to spread.

City Hall waiting to gauge infection numbers since students began returning to school

Officials with Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration apparently shared that opinion and issued a letter Wednesday ordering Tracey’s to “immediately cease operating.” 

“The dangers of COVID-19 are real and the manner in which the establishment is operating threatens to increase the spread of this dangerous disease,” read a letter from Director of Safety and Permits Tammie Jackson. “As such, this business must close immediately.

Tracey’s will be allowed to reopen if it submits a plan for preventing future violations, according to the letter.

Owner Jeffrey Carreras declined to be interviewed but sent a statement saying the establishment was "completely caught off-guard by the reaction of the Mayor’s Office” and that the bar was in compliance with the city’s rules.

Touchdown SAINTS!! 🏈🍻#whodat⚜️ pic.twitter.com/28TPdxmFg4

— Tracey's Bar (@TraceysNola) September 22, 2020

Tracey's Original Irish Bar has been ordered to immediately cease operating, until such time as the owner provides an operational & management plan to the City which must include a viable solution to properly handle overcrowding. pic.twitter.com/Z2GM3fYKqu

— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) September 23, 2020

New Orleans has the strictest regulations in place of any parish in the state, as it has since the start of the pandemic. While establishments with a restaurant license are allowed to operate, they are only allowed to be at half capacity and patrons must be seated at tables.

The letter shutting down Tracey's specifically cites its failure to enforce mask wearing and social distancing. It also said patrons were allowed to sit at a bar rather than at tables.

Carreras disputed those claims and said the establishment was operating at less than the capacity limits, taking patrons' temperatures and requiring masks and social distancing.

“Our interior and exterior cameras show that we were in full, constant compliance will all guidelines of Phase II,” Carreras said. “We are entitled to due process and were not contacted by the Mayor’s Office to address any concerns they had.”

This isn't the first time Tracey's has been at the center of controversy over New Orleans' coronavirus restrictions.

Just days after the first case was recorded in Louisiana in March, Cantrell shut down St. Patrick's Day parades across the city as she and state officials urged residents to avoid large gatherings.

However, a huge crowd gathered at Tracey's, which is typically part of the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade and Block Party, before the festivities were broken up by New Orleans police.

Cantrell’s administration did not respond to questions on Wednesday about how many businesses have been shut down for violating coronavirus guidelines since the start of the pandemic. But such closures appear to be relatively rare. And, as is the case with Tracey’s, owners and managers have been given the opportunity to reopen as soon as they submit plans for staying within the rules that are approved by the city.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"Shut" - Google News
September 24, 2020 at 12:43AM
https://ift.tt/2FY6jmp

Tracey's bar shut down after coronavirus violations during Monday's Saints game - NOLA.com
"Shut" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d35Me0
https://ift.tt/2WkO13c

Bagikan Berita Ini