Colorado restaurant shut down for allowing sit-down dining

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado restaurant that opened for full service on Mother’s Day in defiance of state rules banning sit-down dining was ordered to close Monday and had its license suspended indefinitely by health officials.

A video posted by Colorado Community Media showed people sitting at tables and waiting close together in line at the counter of C&C Breakfast and Korean Kitchen while others lined up outside.

Except for one person wearing a mask, the scene at the eatery in Castle Rock about 30 miles (48 kilometres) south of Denver appeared similar to a busy day at many restaurants before the government allowed only takeout service due to the coronavirus.

Gov. Jared Polis said the restaurant was “causing an immediate health hazard,” and its business license will remain suspended until it is no longer a threat.

“We’re walking a tightrope between protecting all of our health and of course trying to grow our economy," he said. “It’s hard enough to walk without folks shaking the rope because of their own ideological or anti-scientific views, which they choose over the lives of our brothers and sisters.”

The Tri-County Health Department said if the owners refuse to comply, further legal action would be taken that could include the revocation of its license.

“It is not fair to the rest of the community and other business owners that are following Safer at Home and doing their part," the department's executive director, John M. Douglas, Jr., said in a statement.

In a tweet to President Donald Trump, the restaurant's owners said they were standing up for America, small businesses and the Constitution, and against Polis' overreach in response to the outbreak.

The owners, Jesse and April Arellano, could not be reached for comment by telephone on...