Politics

Minnesota Bar Owner Reportedly Gets Caught Playing Cards With Patrons, Refuses To Close With Coronavirus Spread

A sign outside of a pub announces its closure due to the coronavirus, COVID-19 in Washington, DC on March 16, 2020. - Stocks tumbled on March 16, 2020 despite emergency central bank measures to prop up the virus-battered global economy, as countries across Europe started the week in lockdown and major US cities shut bars and restaurants. The virus has upended society around the planet, with governments imposing restrictions rarely seen outside wartime, including the closing of borders, home quarantine orders and the scrapping of public events including major sporting fixtures. (Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

[Pictured: A bar in Washington D.C.] MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

William Davis Contributor
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A Minnesota bar owner is defying the state’s shutdown order and refusing to close his doors.

Fifty-seven-year-old David Schuster has been charged with one count of violating an emergency order, according to CBS Minnesota affiliate WCCO. Schuster reportedly told police that “this is communism” after they found him and a few other patrons playing cards and drinking. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Jan. 21: Fauci Says Coronavirus ‘Not A Major Threat’ To U.S.)

Schuster owns Schooter’s Bar, an establishment in the southern Minnesota town of Winnebago. The incident reportedly occurred March 22 after a police officer patrolling the neighborhood saw the bar’s lights on. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: How Trump’s Extended Coronavirus Guidelines Could Tank The Economy)

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz introduces Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) during a campaign rally at First Avenue on January 17, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered bars and restaurants across the state to close March 17, five days before the incident at Shooters Bar. Walz expanded restrictions the next week when he issued a stay-at-home order. Minnesota is one of 42 states currently under a stay-at-home order as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down most of the U.S.