Thursday, February 25, 2021

Schuylkill County Restaurant Ordered to Close for Violating COVID-19 Order

On Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from February 15 - 21, 2021.  The information included the announcement that the DOAone restaurant in Schuylkill County to close due to violating State COVID-19 order.

The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants, including social distancing, masking and occupancy limits.

These numbers include actions taken during routine food safety inspections and inspections prompted by consumer complaints.

State Inspectors closed four restaurants by order for violating the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health for Mitigation and Enforcement and Order of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Mitigation, Enforcement and Immunity Protections issued November 27, 2020.

Restaurants ordered to close are as follows: 
  • Sunny Cupboard, 744 S. Rt. 183, Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill Co. 
  • Village CafĂ©, 3614 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gordonville, Lancaster Co. 
  • Fire & Ice Smokehouse & Creamery, 3417 Peters Mountain Rd., Halifax, Dauphin Co. 
  • White Horse Luncheonette, 5562 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gap, Lancaster Co. 
Current mitigation measures in restaurants include:

Self-certified restaurants may open at 50 percent capacity for indoor dining. Restaurants that have not self-certified are at 25 percent capacity for indoor dining,

On-premises alcohol consumption prohibited unless part of a meal; cocktails-to-go and carryout beverages are allowed, and

Serving alcohol for on-site consumption must end at 11:00 PM., and all alcoholic beverages must be removed from patrons by midnight.

The Bureau of Food Safety operates with an education-first model, and always works to educate and correct issues on-site before taking official action. Businesses will receive a closure order if they are confirmed to be operating in violation of COVID-19 mitigation orders and are unwilling to comply while the inspector is present. If the restaurant continues to operate in any manner following a closure order, the restaurant will be referred to the Department of Health for further legal action, including an action in Commonwealth Court to enjoin the continued operation of the restaurant in violation of the order.