The city of New Orleans shut down Cadi Corner, TJ Quills, the District and the Red Eye over the weekend for violating the city’s COVID-19 restrictions.
In addition, three more bars in New Orleans East were permanently closed over the weekend for violating city COVID-19 restrictions.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, the city’s Office of Business and External Services Director Peter Bowen explained the enforcement steps his office took to shut down four bars.
“The times for warnings have passed,” Bowen said. “We went out Friday evening, I personally was there with a coordinated effort between NOPD our safety permits inspectors and we had to take action on these four businesses.”
He says the bars went through great efforts to conceal their operations. Bowen says one particular bar, The Red Eye, had its front doors barred shut creating a very dangerous situation for all the people inside.
“There was some serious safety and fire violation that would’ve caused them to shut down in a non-covid environment which is why additional measures may be taken at the state level.”
Pictures of a damaged front door to The Red Eye circulating on social media was the result of hundreds of bar patrons stampeding to get out as code enforcement officers moved in through a back door.
“That was after two hundred scared students rampaged out a locked front door, that was the front door of the Red Eye that had a two-by-four bolted from the inside and locked deadbolt preventing us from entering,” said Bowen.” We had to use the same backdoor entrance those patrons used and the photo you saw was the damage caused when those hundreds of people tried to escape, which is a fire hazard. If there was a fire that would’ve been a mass casualty.”
Bowen says on Saturday, his team followed up on three businesses in New Orleans East with previous complaints filed against them with 3-1-1. He says SiNai Gourmet Restaurant, Fifth Quarter Bar, and G7 Event Hall was seen still in violation and was shut down as well. A security guard at G7 Event Hall pulled his weapon on code enforcement agents as they approached the bar, said Bowen.
“Now is the time for all of us to hold the line given that there is real light at the end of this tunnel,” Bowen said. “We are talking about five days of tougher restrictions to prevent five months of potential surges spikes and shutdowns.”
All of the bars shut down by the city could face more penalties for state fire code violations on top of the city's covid violations.