Courts order 2 restaurants to stop on-premises dining

Two restaurants were ordered by courts to stop on-premises dining and comply with Minnesota’s COVID-19 executive orders on Wednesday.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Freeborn County District Court ordered The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro in Albert Lea to comply with the orders while Scott County District Court ordered St. Patrick’s Tavern and Restaurant in New Prague to do the same.

Both had violated state restrictions by allowing on-premises dining and now must comply or risk being held in contempt of court.

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"Two more courts have recognized the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the firm legal foundation of the State’s legitimate interest in putting a stop to it," Ellison said. "I thank the thousands of Minnesota bars and restaurants that are doing the right thing and meeting their responsibility to their communities by continuing to follow the law. A handful are choosing to ignore their responsibility: by so doing, they’re simply extending the pain the pandemic has already wrought upon all of us.

"We’re continuing to seek voluntarily compliance from all establishments affected by the executive orders. Enforcement action is a last resort, but I will not hesitate to use it when I have no other choice to protect Minnesotans from this deadly virus," Ellison added.

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