Signs posted throughout Phoenix Bar & Grill in Mishawaka remind patrons of health protocols in place to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN
SOUTH BEND — Several area bars have received final warnings from the St. Joseph County Health Department to clamp down on potentially infectious crowds or face possible closure.
More warnings are expected to be issued in the days and weeks ahead as health officials step up efforts to control growing communitywide spread of the novel coronavirus, which has caused COVID-19 hospitalizations to rise to the highest level since late April.
Much like it can shut down a restaurant for not fixing food safety violations, the health department is targeting places its deems hazardous for virus transmission
Health officials can’t currently point to one particular source for the rise in local cases, Dr. Mark Fox, deputy health officer, said Thursday.
But Fox said the department is investigating complaints about many types of facilities, from bars to churches, that reportedly aren’t complying with state and local orders for face coverings, physical distancing and other measures to curb spread of the virus.
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