OLCC addresses enforcement of Oregon's COVID-19 rules

The agency revoked the liquor license for a Jackson County bar earlier this week, one of the most drastic enforcement measures so far.

Today, newswatch 12's ana orsini talked with a spokesperson ffrom o-l-c-c to learn even more.

As people begin to become more comfortable with going out.

Some businesses may become more comfortable with letting something slide.

The oregon liquor control commission has been tasked with making sure that businesses do enforce those covid-19 requirements.

Right now a jackson county bar is under review for a gathering reported last weekend, the oregon liquor control commission suspended the liquor license for jam and salmon yesterday for violating social distancing and face covering requirements.

Joining us now is mark penn injure the spokesperson for oregon's liquor control commission.

Thanks for being with us today.

Glad to be with you, adam.

The first question i have is with you, adam.

The us today.

Glad to be thanks for being with us today.

Glad to be with you, adam.

The first question i have is how serious is this incident that we're seeing at jam and salmon compared to the others that the llcc has investigated?

Well, uh, it's significant enough.

And just to give you a little bit of history, it was just last friday that the commission passed temporary rules, uh, linking our authority to the social distancing and face covering requirements to enable us to take immediate action against a licensee where there was really willful and flagrant, uh, activity and, uh, defiance of, uh, of the face covering.

Uh, rules and, uh, the social distancing guidelines.

So on saturday, when, uh, occ showed up at the jam and salmon, you could say, you really could say that, uh, they were more than packed to the gills with customers.

Uh, they were spilling out into the streets and, uh, uh, jason property and, um, they were not in compliance, uh, not in compliance with olpc rules regarding the operation of a, a licensed alcohol establishment and most obvious and apparent, uh, not abiding by the requirements of social distancing and face coverings.

Now, as we understand it for this specific incident, local law enforcement had notified though, i'll cc.

How often are you called by local authorities to investigate incidents like this one?

Well, generally not so often.

Um, you know, it's not, it shouldn't come up was a surprise that olpc is out inspecting bars and restaurants.

We do that all the time and we do it, uh, with a larger number of inspectors every single weekend.

So we're out always looking to make sure that.

Uh, that bars and restaurants aren't serving to visibly intoxicated persons, uh, to make sure that no miners are on the premises and being served alcohol.

So adding the face, covering in the social distancing checks to our work, isn't a, isn't a significant thing.

So we're already out there doing that kind of activity, but specifically with regard to this weekend and the jam and salmon, uh, our understanding is this actually started as.

Um, a complaint from neighbors to the jackson county sheriff's department, uh, regarding heavy traffic and cars, uh, spilling out onto the roadway in terms of being, uh, parked, uh, and illegal places.

And so, so my understanding as law enforcement arrived on the scene first, and then when they saw the, what was going on and, and sort of to then clear violations of the, of the governor's guidelines.

That's when they call the occ.

And that's when we arrived.

Now, is that something that you guys have been seeing as well, aside from local law enforcement may be calling you guys in, have people who have gone to these bars and restaurants maybe called the llcc and been like, hey, i was here and they weren't abiding by those guidelines.

We do get some tips from customers.

Yes.

But, uh, again, you know, we've had our inspection staff, uh, out every single weekend since the 4th of july weekend and, uh, doing saturation, uh, checks of licensees across the state and with the exception really of the first weekend and maybe a little bit, the second weekend, you know, most restaurants and bars across the state have been complying with these guidelines.

And there's some seriousness for them in this, because this is about them being able to survive in a, in a business environment.

Yeah.

It's been ravaged by the, by the pandemic.

And so they want to do everything they can to stay open and functioning and making some money.

And so.

There are instances too, where some restaurants and bars are calling out bars and restaurants that aren't abiding our arms following the rules, because they realize that, uh, those folks who aren't following the rules could jeopardize this for all of the hospitality industry.

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For all of the could jeopardize this following the rules folks who aren't realize that, uh, those folks who aren't following the rules could jeopardize this for all of