LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — (Ed. note: The video attached is from May 2020 with an interview with the owner of Brewski's.)
Arkansas health officials have shut down a Little Rock bar after tracing it to a cluster of coronavirus cases and finding the business wasn't complying with virus safety measures.
The Department of Health on Saturday ordered Brewski's Pub and Grub to cease operations until it appears before a state panel. According to the order, the bar was inspected by state Alcohol Beverage Control officials last week after cases were traced back to it.
Inspectors found the bar exceeded a two-thirds capacity limit imposed because of the virus, and wasn't ensuring patrons were social distancing or wearing masks
There was no answer at the bar Monday, but in a Facebook post over the weekend it said three employees had tested positive.
The Health Department on Monday said at least 24,253 people have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 439 new confirmed cases since Sunday. The department said 6,127 of those cases are considered active, meaning they don't include people who have died or recovered.
Five more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the state's fatalities to 292. The state's hospitalizations rose by 12 to 337.