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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The owner of Rae’s Cafe in Blue Springs refuses to comply with a Jackson County order to close the restaurant after repeated violations of the county’s COVID-19 orders.
A sign posted on the restaurant’s door Friday said Jackson County environmental health officials had closed the facility.
The sign read “Fail to follow Jackson County health ordinance and pose a significant threat to the health and safety of customers.”
“I don’t,” said owner Amanda Wohletz.
Wohletz still continued to seat clients even after the county officer left.
A public health specialist signed the order, but the space reserved for the signature of a restaurant representative said “refused to sign”.
KSHB 41 News obtained a letter from the county to the restaurant revoking the food establishment license for Rae’s Cafe.
He called the café’s operation an “imminent health hazard” for its refusal to uphold the mask’s mandate and fail to properly disinfect the facility.
The letter says operations must cease by “today, September 3”.
A Jackson County spokesperson said he had received several complaints over the past two weeks about Rae’s Cafe.
“I didn’t honor the mandate of the mask this round. I did the entire last round,” Wohletz said. “She came on Friday sent me a warning, a ticket and a hearing date. Same Monday, another ticket and a hearing date.”
His court date is October 6 for both tickets.
The county said three more complaints were filed on Friday, prompting them to shut down the restaurant.
Wohletz said his staff and anyone who enters his restaurant is medically exempt, so they don’t have to wear masks. She doesn’t ask her clients to wear masks when they enter and doesn’t demand a reason not to wear them.
“I don’t try to go to a lot of places so the places I go where I feel safe and comfortable is where I go,” said Craig Picard, a loyal customer. .
Wohletz said she believes the mask’s mandate is unfair to the restaurant industry because it is difficult to cook and work with a mask on.
“It didn’t work the first time around,” Wohletz said. “It hasn’t worked for two years. So why are you going to keep hurting the restaurants and bars that have been suffering for so long?”
Wohletz said she wasn’t backing down, despite the sign on her door, and would open Saturday morning for breakfast.
The letter delivered to the cafe says that a health worker can suspend or revoke permits for establishments that do not follow health codes, that owners can reapply for a permit when violations are corrected and the establishment cannot. not be reinspected for compliance within 48 hours. of revocation.
“Despite our multiple attempts to work with the company to comply, the owner has knowingly and willfully continued to violate the health order,” said Troy Schulte, Jackson County Administrator. “It is clear from the number of complaints we have received that members of our community are concerned about the spread of the virus and hold others accountable for preventing further pain, illness and death in our community. “
County enforcement is based on complaints. Health officials who visit a business after receiving complaints must see the violation in order to issue a warning or ticket.
They will give a warning before they start giving out tickets.
According to the county, since the public health order requiring masks came into effect on August 9, there have been:
- Over 500 complaints.
- 86 warnings.
- 22 tickets.
The county has so far said permits have been revoked at three businesses, including Rae’s Cafe, for breaching a health ordinance during the pandemic.
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