BETHEL, Maine — Rick Savage, the owner of Sunday River Brewing Co. in Bethel, kept his word and opened his doors to the public on Friday, defying Gov. Janet Mills' Executive Order during the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Savage, health and liquor license inspectors were on scene Friday and revoked both of the restaurant's licenses. Savage said he would continue to operate, but late Friday afternoon, Savage posted on the restaurant's Facebook page that Sunday River brewing Co. was closed until further notice.
"We will be closed until further notice as of Friday May 1st. Thank you all for support today, please search for the “Maine Back to Work Fund” on go fund me page. We will post the link if I can find it. Thank you all again!!" said Savage in the post.
Oxford County Sheriff's Chief Deputy James Urquhart told NEWS CENTER Maine several agencies are also monitoring the situation, as well as surrounding areas that may try to mimic what’s being attempted in Bethel.
Savage went on Fox News Thursday night, telling the nation he planned to go against the Governor's orders and open to dine-in customers on Friday. Hundreds showed up in support.
Maine entered the first stage of Mills' phased approach to reopen the state's economy on Friday. Restaurants are part of stage two, with a tentative reopening date of June 1.
"I've got a restaurant that seats 250 people inside, a deck that seats a hundred, a 2200 square foot patio, so I could put people at six-foot spacing everywhere and get open back up for business," Savage said.
The Oxford County Sheriff's Office released a statement in response to the situation Friday in Bethel.
"As Sheriff, I swore an oath to uphold the constitutional rights of our citizens, as well as enforce the law," Sheriff Christopher Wainwright said in the statement.
Wainwright wrote, "As in any situation where there is a potential or alleged violation of law, which includes violations of the Executive Orders, for which law enforcement is obligated to enforce, we will investigate reports of violations and take the appropriate action indicated by our investigative findings or refer the complaint to the appropriate state or local administrative licensing agency."
Under Phase 1 of the Governor's plan, health care from Maine-licensed providers, personal services like barbershops and hair salons, drive-in services, and outdoor recreation are some of the businesses that are able to reopen beginning Friday. They must meet state-mandated safety precautions.
Some Mainers have been frustrated and confused about some of Mills' orders. Last week, more than 300 protesters rallied behind the message that the state government should reopen Maine. Another protest outside the Augusta State House and Governor's residence at the Blaine House is planned for Saturday.
On Friday, Mills address some of their frustrations in a statement during the Maine CDC's daily coronavirus briefing.
In Maine, there are currently 1,123 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been 55 deaths associated with the disease.
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At NEWS CENTER Maine, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
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