10 More RI Businesses Cited For Violating Coronavirus Regulations

Rachel Nunes
Updated ·1 min read

PROVIDENCE, RI — Ten more businesses were issued compliance orders for violating coronavirus safety regulations in the past two weeks, the Rhode Island Department of Health reported Thursday.

Eight of the businesses are restaurants and two are barbershops, the department said. Four are in Providence, two in Westerly, and one each in Pawtucket, Cumberland, Woonsocket and East Providence.

"In many instances, inspectors observed staff and patrons not wearing masks, and staff and patrons not practicing social distancing," the department said. "Other violations included serving drinks at a bar without a physical barrier and not maintaining an employee work log, which would be used for contact tracing, in the event of a case."

Depending on the severity of the violations, businesses are issued compliance orders or immediate compliance orders. In the first case, businesses can remain open and will be inspected again in 10 days to ensure violations have been addressed. In the case of more serious violations, businesses are ordered to close "because the violations documented represent an imminent threat to public health."

Combination orders are issued to businesses that follow most of the rules, allowing them to stay open, while certain areas, such as a bar, must be closed until the issues are addressed.

These are the 10 businesses:

Compliance orders

  • Asian Bakery, Providence

  • Subway Restaurant, Woonsocket

  • Sam's Food Store, Providence

  • Grab and Go Convenience Store, East Providence

  • John’s Meat Market, Providence

  • China Star III, Providence

Immediate compliance order

  • Rios Barber Shop, Westerly

  • Matt's on Mendon Barber Shop, Cumberland

  • Andrea Hotel, Westerly (the business is now in compliance)

Combination compliance order and immediate compliance order

  • Liberty Lunch, Pawtucket

This article originally appeared on the Cranston Patch