A Colorado restaurant's license was indefinitely suspended after it opened its dining room to large crowds on Mother's Day, defying statewide orders.
Video shows large groups of people eating at C&C Breakfast and Korean Kitchen, many not appearing to wear masks.
Every seat was filled in the restaurant in Castle Rock, 30 minutes south of Denver, according to Colorado Community Media, which recorded the video.
The Tri-County Health Department, whose purview includes Castle Rock, said in an order Monday that C&C Breakfast and Korean Kitchen must remain closed until the agency can review its compliance with the state's coronavirus orders, NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver reported.
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Restaurants and bars have been closed since mid-March in Colorado, which is in the process of reopening under Gov. Jared Polis' "safer at home" model, but restaurants remain restricted to takeout and delivery. The state has had almost 20,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 950 deaths.
The Health Department said it warned the restaurant Friday not to open its dining room.
"It is disheartening that this restaurant has chosen to move ahead of the public orders and not even consider implementing best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., executive director of the health department, said in a news release provided to KUSA.
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Polis said in a news conference Monday that he was "disappointed to see people and businesses actively breaking the law."
"We all believe in the rule of law and need to follow the laws and work through legitimate channels to change those laws," Polis said. "We don't have the ability to violate laws."
The restaurant's co-owner Jesse Arellano told KUSA that eateries are eager to get back to business.
"We had to fire a lot of people that live off the wages and everything else," Arellano said. "What do you say to those people? ... Restaurants are at a big disadvantage right now."
As for the closure order, he said: "I know they're trying to punish us. They're going to try to make us an example, which is fine. We're willing to accept that."
