Judge refuses to issue injunction to close Fredericksburg restaurant for COVID restriction violations

FREDERICKSBURG —(AP)  In a sign that Virginians are growing weary of restrictions, a Virginia judge has refused to issue a preliminary injunction sought by state officials against a restaurant whose owner has defied Gov. Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 restrictions on businesses.

The judge on Friday denied the state’s request for an injunction that would have resulted in the immediate closure of Gourmeltz restaurant in Fredericksburg. The judge said the state had failed to show that it would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction or that an injunction was in the public interest.

.