VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — People with the Virginia Beach Health Department made surprise visits to businesses on Shore Drive and at the Oceanfront and found that some of them weren't following the coronavirus guidelines that were included in an order from Gov. Ralph Northam.
Director of Public Health Dr. Demetria Lindsay said two restaurants wound up having their licenses suspended as a result of the unannounced visits.
She provided the information to members of Virginia Beach City Council Tuesday afternoon as part of a weekly COVID-19 public safety update.
We were able to find out that the restaurants were The Boxx, located at 2110 Atlantic Ave. at the Oceanfront and Central @ Shore, located at 2301 Red Tide Rd., which is off Shore Drive near West Great Neck Road.
At The Boxx, there were issues with social distancing/crowding and some concerns about mask use by employees. At Central @ Shore, guests were congregating around the bar.
In addition, three businesses in Norfolk had their food permits suspended:
- Mack's Barge, 4300 Colley Ave.
- The Living Room, 700 N. Military Hwy.
- Chico's Backstage, 320 Granby St.
The issue at Mack's Barge involved bar seating. At The Living Room, it was bar seating/congregation by customers. Chico's Backstage had crowding at the bar and guests congregating.
Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health said that the city added 109 newly confirmed cases to its overall count. The number of cases in Virginia Beach since health districts began tracking the disease was 2,829 as of July 21. Within that time frame, 38 people had died.
Of the Seven Cities, only Norfolk reported more new cases on Tuesday. The number in Norfolk was 115, bringing its total number to 2,329 as of July 21.
Hampton Roads, as a whole, has been driving a recent statewide increase in COVID-19 cases, which Northam pointed out during one of his news conferences.
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He made it clear at that time if the trend continued, he and health officials would consider all options to address it. That included the possibility of reintroducing restrictions to the area. He also said if businesses, including restaurants, violated his orders and the guidelines that were in place, their licenses/permits would be on the line.