A restaurant in Plymouth was cited for failing to comply with Michigan's previous restrictions banning indoor service at bars and restaurants. | Shutterstock
A restaurant in Plymouth was cited for failing to comply with Michigan's previous restrictions banning indoor service at bars and restaurants. | Shutterstock
Restrictions on business activity during the COVID-19 pandemic have created significant struggles for businesses and have left many Michiganders out of the workforce nearly a year later.
But, as it turns out, 2020 was a profitable year for some of those who worked hard to see those restrictions being enforced.
In Plymouth, Allen Cox, the city’s director of public safety, and John Buzuvis, the city’s director of community development, both got raises in 2020, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.
When a Wayne County Health Department inspector cleared Plymouth ROC Restaurant for any violation of state health mandates in December -- and while the owners of the restaurant were probably breathing a sigh of relief -- Cox and Buzuvis put in their time to make sure the restaurant was cited for what they saw as a violation.
Plymouth ROC Restaurant had opened an outdoor dining area but enclosed it on all four sides with a tent, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. While there was nothing specifying the need to have sides open in the Nov. 25 mandate from the state, a "frequently asked questions" post on Michigan.gov indicated that at least two noncontiguous sides had to be open for the tent to be considered "outdoors."
A local police officer had warned the restaurant in early December, leading to the county inspection a few days later, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. But the county inspector told the owners they were in compliance with the state mandate.
That did not satisfy Cox, who instructed Buzuvis to go to the restaurant and take pictures, which were then filed with the state’s Liquor Control Commission. By the end of the month, the commission had clamped down on the restaurant and ruled that it had broken the law by violating Michigan's epidemic health order.
Such situations undermine statements early in the pandemic by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reported by Michigan Capitol Confidential:“This is going to be hard, but we’re going to get through this, and we’re going to get through it together.”
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