At least 2 more St. Clair County businesses shut down for violating COVID restriction
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At least two additional St. Clair County businesses were shut down as of Saturday for violating a statewide ban on indoor dining meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois.
In addition to George’s Pub near East Carondelet and H’s Bar near Belleville, Lotawata Creek in Fairview Heights and Reifschneider’s Grill & Grape in Freeburg were ordered to shut down by government officials. Syberg’s in O’Fallon was also temporarily closed, but it was not immediately clear why.
The St. Clair County Health Department did not respond to a request Saturday asking if more establishments had been ordered to close.
H’s Bar and George’s Pub had their liquor licenses suspended from Dec. 3 through Dec. 31. Both establishments also were fined $1,000, according to the orders issued by Mark Kern, St. Clair County’s liquor commissioner, who is also the county board chairman.
A sheet of paper attached to the door at Lotawata Creek said “the state of Illinois has closed us down temporarily due to us allowing indoor dining.”
The sign stated the restaurant is working with lawyers in the hopes of “reopening soon.” A representative of Lotawata Creek could not be reached Saturday.
Another sheet taped to the door said the restaurant was taking steps to keep staff and customers safe, including requiring face masks. But the statement went on to warn “government agencies” that the restaurant would not comply with an order to close.
The statement said Tom DeVore, an attorney who has become well-known for representing businesses during the pandemic, is Lotawata Creek’s lawyer. DeVore did not immediately return a phone call for comment Saturday.
If the health department closed Lotawata Creek, the restaurant’s statement continued, “we may pursue legal damages against the overreaching government agency as well as the specific government employee who takes any such unlawful action.”
A sign with the same language was taped to the door at Shooters Bar & BBQ in downtown O’Fallon.
A sheet taped to the door at Syberg’s said the restaurant was “temporarily shut down,” but did not say why. When reached by phone on Saturday afternoon, a restaurant employee said, “No comment.”
At Reifschneider’s Grill & Grape, a sign said the St. Clair County Health Department pulled their food license because the restaurant had offered indoor dining. The restaurant would be closed until further notice, but its location in Columbia remained open for indoor dining Saturday, according to an employee.
A Reifschneider’s manager could not be reached by phone on Saturday afternoon.
A note taped to the door at the Freeburg location from a customer supported the businesses’ decision to remain open.
“Do you still have a liquor license, or did the tyrannical government take that too? If so, let us in for some beer. We will come.”
The crackdown in St. Clair County was similar to one in St. Louis County earlier this week, when health officials ordered restaurants to close after they ignored a ban on indoor dining announced by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants statewide on Nov. 17 in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 cases. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 9,887 new cases Saturday, including 208 deaths.
Bars and restaurants have pushed back on the governor’s office for targeting them as spreaders of the disease. In Region 4 — which includes St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph and Washington counties — 9.6% of outbreak locations were at bars or restaurants, according to IDPH contact tracing data.
Among the other places where the virus spreads are group living settings, hospitals, correctional facilities, community events, churches, day cares, places where first-responders work and factories.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 5:36 PM.
