The state Health Department has shut down Brewski’s Pub & Grub in Little Rock after three employees tested positive for covid-19 and because the pub was substantially out of compliance with Health Department directives on capacity and mask-wearing.
“Brewski’s was served with an order to cease operating until the owner appears at a hearing before the Board of Health for noncompliance with our directives,” said Gavin Lesnick, public information director for the Health Department.
“After a cluster of cases was tied to the establishment, Alcoholic Beverage Control officers visited on Friday and found face coverings not being used and overcrowding inside the business. It was determined that it would present an imminent health risk for the business to continue operating.”
The “Ex Parte Order to Cease Operation Due to Imminent Public Health Danger,” signed Saturday by state Health Secretary Nathaniel Smith, said a “cluster” of covid-19 cases had been traced back to Brewski’s, 315 Main Street, and that an inspection by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division found Brewski’s “in violation of the Directive on Resuming Bar or Club Operations,” specifically that it was operating at more than 66% capacity, “not ensuring proper social distancing with seating and not ensuring patrons wear face coverings.”
An executive order from Gov. Asa Hutchinson announcing a public health emergency empowers the Health Department to impose restrictions and regulations “to prevent the introduction and spread of covid-19,” the order explains.
“This is the first action like this that we have taken against a restaurant/bar,” Lesnick said.
A Brewski’s employee who answered the phone Monday said when the establishment would reopen depends on the results of employee coronavirus testing.