Damien’s on the Lake is seen in this file photo. The latest round of citations issued by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for the month of January lists several Luzerne County establishments alleged to have violated COVID-19 protocols — including Damien’s, a Harveys Lake restaurant that planned a New Year’s Eve party in defiance of state restrictions.
Times Leader file photo
Harveys Lake restaurant that planned New Year’s Eve party among them
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The latest round of citations issued by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for the month of January lists several Luzerne County establishments alleged to have violated COVID-19 protocol — including a Harveys Lake restaurant that planned a New Year’s Eve party in defiance of state restrictions.
Damien’s on the Lake was cited for failing “to abide by the order and mandates of the Governor and/or Secretary of Health related to businesses in the restaurant and food service industry permitted to operate during the COVID-19 disaster emergency,” according to a release issued by the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.
The citation lists incidents occurring on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 of last year, while Pennsylvania was under a set of temporary COVID-19 restrictions that included a ban on indoor dining and a capacity limit on indoor gatherings and businesses still operating.
Damien Kaye, the owner of Damien’s on the Lake, told the Times Leader in December that he would reopen his restaurant and hold a private party on New Year’s Eve, claiming that he wasn’t breaking any laws.
According to the state police report, the restaurant failed to require customers and employees to wear face masks while entering, exiting, or traveling through the restaurant. The report also says that the restaurant failed to provide six feet between parties, served a patron at the bar and sold food and alcohol on the premises that was intended to be consumed on-site.
Wolf’s restrictions expired on Jan. 4, four days after the New Year’s Eve party at Damien’s on the Lake.
When reached on Wednesday for comment, Kaye declined to say anything other than “good luck.”
A number of other Luzerne County licensed establishments were cited by the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for COVID-19 safety violations as well, including:
• Whiskey Business in Wilkes-Barre;
• Wilkes-Barre Republic Club;
• Screwy Moose Saloon in Plymouth;
• The Office in Mountain Top;
• Booty’s Place in Hazleton;
• Capri Lounge in Hazleton;
• NEPA MR Lounge in Plymouth; and
• Morgan Hills Golf Course in Hunlock Creek.
The report doesn’t specify the punishment issued to each establishment for their violations.
This isn’t the first citation that Damien’s on the Lake has received: the website for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board indicates that the restaurant was cited and fined $600 for COVID-19 safety violations dating back to late May and early June of 2020.