Charlie Schlenker / WGLT
The Bloomington Liquor Commission fined two more establishments Tuesday for violating COVID-19 mitigation rules in January, and four others for tax violations.
The Parkview Inn on Morris Avenue has paid an $800 fine for a second violation of Gov. JB Pritzker’s earlier executive order banning indoor dining service under certain conditions. The Spotted Dog on Morrissey Drive paid $500 for a first violation. They are the latest of nearly a dozen bars that have been fined for such infractions.
Pritzker eased restrictions on indoor dining in central Illinois and other parts of the state on Jan. 17 as COVID numbers improved; the ban had been in place since mid-November.
Normal Fines Restaurant for COVID-Mitigation Violations wglt.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wglt.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Normal Town Council meets remotely, Monday, Feb. 1
UPDATED 10 a.m. | The Normal Liquor Commission on Monday voted 5-2 to fine a bar and restaurant about $4,000 for violating COVID-19 mitigation rules.
The owners of Joe’s Station House Pizza Pub, located at the Shoppes at College Hills, plan to appeal the decision, their attorney said.
The fines come after owners Tony and Joe Wargo ignored Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive orders prohibiting indoor dining, as part of the state’s COVID restrictions n place at the tme. The business was cited for allowing patrons to eat and drink indoors, twice in November, and once in December.
Emily Bollinger / WGLT
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said he thinks the governor should allow a limited amount of indoor dining starting now.
Region 2, which includes McLean County, could improve back to Tier 2 mitigations as soon as Friday. But that, on its own, would not allow indoor dining to resume. Under current rules, indoor dining could only resume in a region if its testing positivity rate dips below 6.5% and there s healthy hospital bed and ICU capacity, NPR Illinois reported.
Still, some restaurants are ready to go. Rob Dob s in Bloomington, for example, announced on Facebook it will be reopening dine-in service on Friday.
Watch now: How are COVID restaurant violations being enforced in McLean County? pantagraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pantagraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.