Tougher enforcement of Minnesota bars, restaurants not on COVID menu

The Dinkytown bar hummed with customers as the Minnesota Gophers football game played on TV. A gaggle of women pushed drinks on a friend, who donned a pink sash for her 21st birthday. Maskless patrons played darts. A young couple leaned in to kiss.

An ordinary nightlife scene came to an early close at the Blarney Pub & Grill in Minneapolis on Friday in compliance with Gov. Tim Walz's COVID-19 safety order, forcing bar patrons to guzzle their beers by 10 p.m. and leave.

Ten minutes before closing, yellow-shirted security staff began ushering folks out into the night cold. One man slung his arm around a friend's shoulder, demanding to know: "Where's the after-party?"

https://www.startribune.com/tougher-enforcement-of-minnesota-bars-restaurants-not-on-covid-menu/573084991/