{"id":69370,"date":"2020-11-23T13:02:36","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T13:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=69370"},"modified":"2020-11-23T13:02:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T13:02:36","slug":"bar-quickly-closes-packed-maskless-crowds-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=69370","title":{"rendered":"Bar quickly closes after it’s packed with maskless crowds at reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

A South Florida bar was flooded by swarms of maskless partygoers upon reopening for the first time since the pandemic began \u2014 only to get shut down by officials for violating pandemic-related rules, a report said Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Wharf Fort Lauderdale was inundated over the weekend by young people dancing, drinking and ignoring social distancing protocols \u2014 prompting county code officers to intervene,\u00a0the South Florida-Sentinel reported.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf they\u2019re not making patrons wear masks, they\u2019re leaving us no option other than to shut them down,\u201d Broward Mayor Steve Geller told the newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is not to shut down businesses. It\u2019s to get compliance. If we have to shut down businesses that are intentionally violating our laws, maybe that will send a message. They have to obey our orders for the safety of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

A neighboring doctor said he walked by the watering hole around 9 p.m. Friday \u2014 its opening day \u2014 and was shocked by the throngs of partygoers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a doctor who has gone through this since March, it was disheartening. The place was packed, everybody was close together,\u201d Dr. Ralph Levy\u00a0told the newspaper.<\/p>\n

County officials visited the bar three times on Saturday alone \u2014 citing it each time for violating COVID-19 guidelines, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n\n

They noted that The Wharf was allowing patrons to enter without wearing masks and its bar didn\u2019t have a plexiglass divider, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

Though officials only ordered it to close for 24 hours, the establishment said it won\u2019t reopen until it can do so normally.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want to grab a drink and walk around. We built the Wharf [for customers] to have a certain experience,\u201d co-owner Emilio Guerra told the newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with the guidelines and regulations being forced on us, we unfortunately have to close down.<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n