Despite order to close for defying mask rule, Blue Springs cafe stays open Friday
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Rae’s Cafe vs mask mandate
Jackson County Health Department officials have issued an order to close a Blue Springs cafe that has been ignoring the county’s mask requirement. The owner of the restaurant has said she will not follow the rule.
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A Blue Springs cafe that has been ignoring the county’s mask requirement reopened Friday with a line of customers waiting outside.
That’s after the Jackson County Health Department issued an order Thursday to close the restaurant, Rae’s Cafe, saying the establishment has posed an “imminent health hazard” during the latest surge of COVID-19.
County officials say Rae’s Cafe continued to violate health department rules despite several warnings and citations. Owner Amanda Wohletz told The Star last week that her restaurant would not require masks.
In a press release Thursday evening, county health officials said state law allows the health department director to close a place of public or private assembly when to protect public health. The order, issued by Director Bridgette Shaffer, refers to continued violations of the order as a “public nuisance” and “imminent threat and menace to public health.”
On Friday morning, as customers gathered at the restaurant, an official with the Jackson County Health Department hand-delivered a copy of the order to close the business. Jackson County Sheriff deputies were nearby.
The owner accepted the document but kept the business open.
“Thank you,” she said. “There’s no court order so this is all they can do.”
Jackson County regulations
The county is seeking a court order to close the business. A legal petition is to be filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Friday that would grant a restraining order and a permanent injunction against the business and its owner, county officials said.
On Aug. 30, Jackson County legislators voted 6-3 to extend the county’s mask order through Oct. 7. The order requires masks to be worn indoors in public places.
Caleb Clifford, chief of staff for the Jackson County Executive’s Office, issued a statement Thursday highlighting the business as an outlier in the county. He said other businesses have followed the rules, and Rae’s Cafe is the only business the county has moved to close during the pandemic.
For her part, Wohletz has contended her business was acting within the bounds of the health order and the law. In the interview with The Star last week, she said she and her workers all are medically exempt — a carveout that exists in the policy.
“We’re completely complying and they still shut me down,” she said at the time.
The business also announced it would operate as a private club and therefore should not have to abide by the county rules. But county officials say that is not a legitimate argument.
Complaints about the business by residents were verified by investigators over recent weeks, the county says. The actions Thursday follow several others from the health department over the past few weeks.
On Aug. 18, the business received a warning. Tickets were issued on Aug. 27 and Aug. 30. And the cafe’s food permit was revoked on Sept. 3.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton, Anna Spoerre and Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 9:19 AM.
