State suspending Colorado restaurant's license after it defies health orders
A Colorado restaurant was forced to close just two days after a video surfaced of C&C Coffee and Kitchen packed with dozens of unmasked patrons celebrating Mother’s Day.
Several people can be seen in the video not wearing a mask and sitting closely together without properly social distancing to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“CDPHE has issued an Order of Summary Suspension to the restaurant for its retail food license, which complements the Tri-County order closing the restaurant. Summary suspension actions are immediate and require the restaurant to shut down as soon as they receive the suspension order," The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told ABC News. "Both agencies may choose to pursue additional legal action if the restaurant owner violates their respective orders. If a business remained open after its license was suspended, the next step would be to get a court order to close the business.”
Local health officials said the closure happened because the establishment violated the governor's public health orders.
“It is disheartening that this restaurant has chosen to move ahead of the public orders and not even consider implementing best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19," John M. Douglas, Jr., executive director of Tri-County Health Department, said in a statement. "It is not fair to the rest of the community and other business owners that are following Safer at Home and doing their part. We sincerely hope that C&C will choose to cooperate with the rules under which they are allowed to operate so we can lift this closure order."
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April Arellano, owner of C&C, also did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. However, she told Colorado Community Media that she “expected it to be busy, but never expected this.”
"I'm so happy so many people came out to support the Constitution and stand up for what is right,” Arellano said. “We did our time. We did our two weeks. We did more than two weeks…and we were failing. We had to do something.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the video was disappointing because those types of actions put others, especially older citizens, at risk.
"I love my mom far too much to put her at risk by visiting a busy restaurant operating illegally, just to take a selfie with omelets and a mimosa," he said Monday. "Colorado, America, we are better than that."
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