Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' office is denouncing a restaurant that allowed large crowds to pack in for its Mother's Day rush Sunday, in violation of the state's safer-at-home mandates in place to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“These restaurants are not only breaking the law, they are endangering the lives of their staff, customers, and community,” Deputy Press Secretary Shelby Wieman said about C&C Coffee and Kitchen, which opened for the holiday rush Sunday, reports The Denver Post.
The state's health order says restaurants can't offer dine-in services until May 26 at the earliest, although takeout and delivery orders are allowed.
According to reports, the restaurant's owner, April Arellano had said she would be out of business if she didn't "do something," but observers said social distancing was not being enforced and many customers were not wearing masks.
“It was unbelievable,” a resident, who had gone in to pick up food but instead took a picture of the crowd before leaving without paying for his order, told The Denver Post. "I wasn’t even going to eat the food even if I had gotten it. I walked in, took the picture, and turned right around.”
Residents are not required to stay at home under the state order and non-critical businesses must operate with restrictions on distancing steps deemed necessary to limit the virus' spread.
A health official said that those violating the order could face a $1,000 fine or a year in jail, and businesses could lose their licenses.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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