The New York State Liquor Authority has suspended the liquor license of bar in Island Park following alleged repeat violations of not adhering to social-distancing guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Dox, a bar on Broadway in the waterfront village, allegedly had 235 patrons packed into an outdoor patio with a legal capacity of 42 when the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office conducted a compliance inspection on June 27, SLA said. The investigation followed repeated verbal and written warnings following complaints of overcrowding, noise, and social distancing violations, the agency added.
“This licensee received repeated warnings and chose to ignore them, causing an unnecessary and avoidable health risk to patrons, employees and the community,” said SLA Chairman Vincent Bradley. “Licensees who ignore these lifesaving protocols are not just jeopardizing their licenses, they’re jeopardizing people’s lives.”
The bar is the first on Long Island to have its license suspension for alleged social-distancing violations. The allegations come after the governor recently warned restaurants that failure to comply with crowd limits to curb the spread of the virus will result in license suspensions. Cuomo previously said he heard complaints from bars in the Hamptons once outdoor dining returned with phase two, but the first suspension came in neighboring Nassau County.
The SLA charged the owners of Dox with 42 violations, including multiple counts of failure to comply with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive orders concerning COVID-19 restaurant capacity restrictions, code violations, and failure to supervise the licensed premises.
The bar owners will have a chance to defend themselves at an SLA hearing in the near future.
“It’s unfortunate that it came to a license suspension,” Norah Kelleher told the Oceanside/Island Park Herald. “We are trying to work with the SLA and get it open.”
Related Story: Hamptons Restaurant Crowds May Force Phase 2 Reversal, Cuomo Warns
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