(Peter Kraayvanger / Pixabay)
City authorities fined six companies and closed a West Loop brewery for violating rules designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, authorities said Monday.
Officials closed Wise Owl Drinkery & Cookhouse, 324 S. Racine Ave., after inspectors discovered that capacity had been exceeded, failed to keep people 6 feet away, and were not seating customers, many of the which did not use face protectors.
City officials declined to name the six businesses that received 12 citations for violating rules designed to stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Each appointment comes with a $ 10,000 fine, according to city ordinance.
A task force formed by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection conducted 47 investigations of bars and restaurants this weekend, authorities said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday at an unrelated news conference that she was “deeply concerned” about the increase in cases among Chicagoans between the ages of 18 and 29. Between June 15 and July 7, nearly 30% of all confirmed coronavirus cases were in young adults, according to data provided by the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Seventeen days after Chicago entered the fourth phase of Lightfoot’s reopening plan, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is “stable,” with fewer than 200 cases reported per day, according to city data.
However, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has increased in recent days, while the number of completed tests has decreased slightly, increasing the city’s positivity rate to 5%, according to city data.
“The case rate, the daily accumulation of cases, is something that definitely worries me,” Lightfoot said. “And we will not hesitate to take the necessary steps if we continue to see an increase in that number.”
Lightfoot said the data does not require officials to re-impose restrictions or order bars and restaurants near meals in person, yet.
“I’m not going to take anything off the table,” Lightfoot said. “I don’t think we are at that point yet, but I am deeply concerned that we are beginning to see this rebound.”
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, told reporters on Friday that young people may be suffering from “COVID fatigue” and that they are less careful about wearing masks and following social distancing rules.
Lightfoot urged young people to wear masks when they leave their homes.
“No one is invincible against this virus,” said Lightfoot.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
