A local restaurant in California was closed off by city officials after repeatedly violating COVID-19 restrictions, but the owner argues it's because of "fear and control" by authorities.
Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill, a Western-themed restaurant in Burbank, California, has been enveloped in a chain-link fence by the city's authorities after it "repeatedly defied COVID-19 mandates."
The fence was put in place so that the owners and operators of the restaurant at 2623 W. Magnolia Blvd. would be prohibited from opening their establishment amidst "unsafe conditions." Supporters and opposers to the closure have picketed in the site over the course of several days, straining police resources, a report said.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the demonstrators have remained peaceful "for the most part," but neighboring communities have reported being "impacted by the commotion."
The Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff invited the representative of the Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill, attorney Mark J. Geragos to file a motion to modify the injunction that served somewhat of a temporary restraining order on the restaurant.
However, the owner of the restaurant did not receive any sanctions after they "defied health orders and continued to offer outdoor dining at a time it was banned in Los Angeles County as a way of limiting the spread of the coronavirus."
According to CBN News, the restaurant owner's son Lucas Lepejian was taken into the custody of California police on Tuesday morning after he was caught removing sandbags placed in front of the building to deter anyone from going inside. It was the third time he was arrested in a week.
Lucas' father Baret Lepejian, the owner of the restaurant, declared that he had no intention of paying over $50,000 worth of fines that the California government had slapped onto his establishment. Baret, who lives in Thailand, challenged authorities to "Show me one shred of evidence of how I am endangering the public."
"This has never been about safety or the public," the California restaurant owner argued. "It's never been about that. This whole thing is about fear and control."
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom took to Twitter to share that the state's COVID-19 positivity rate is at its "lowest since the beginning of the pandemic" at 1.5%. This follows a recent uptick in COVID-19 positivity a few days ago, Deadline reported. However, California is looking to vaccinate more people beginning Thursday, enabling those aged 16 and above eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The state has already administered about 23 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 38.3% of residents having been inoculated once, the Los Angeles Times reported. About 21.1% of Californians have been fully vaccinated, meaning they have completed two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or have gotten the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"Californians have done the hard work of slowing the spread of #COVID19 and now we are looking forward," the Office of the Governor of California shared on Twitter. "With a continued focus on vaccine equity & mandated masking, we're setting our eyes on June 15th to fully reopen our economy."
