Tootsie’s World Famous Orchid Lounge is temporarily closing their downtown Nashville location, in order to deep clean the venue, due to several cases of COVID-19. Bryan Lewis, the attorney for Tootsie’s owner Steve Smith, issued a statement to Fox 17 about the decision.

“There have been isolated cases of COVID at the downtown locations, including an individual that had not recently been on premise and tested positive while out of state,” Bryan said. “Since the beginning, we have followed CDC and Metro Health Department guidelines and are taking extra measures to protect employees and customers, including shutting down to re-sanitize before, during and after each shift, as well as before and after every customer experience.

“We will support any employee financially that contracts COVID to help them during their recovery,” he added. “We stand committed to the safety of all of our employees and customers.”

The news comes as the Metro Health Department put into effect a new order in Nashville, requiring everyone in the city to wear masks, after the number of those testing positive for coronavirus continued to rise.

“Face coverings help slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Mayor John Cooper said in a press release. “The health of our community requires every Nashvillian to do their part. While our testing capacity continues to grow, the coronavirus remains a largely invisible threat. So, it’s vital that all who live and work in Davidson County maintain healthy habits.”

Steve, who is also the owner of Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk Bar, was previously cited for violating health orders, after the director of the Metro Public Health Department visited the downtown establishment, and saw employees not wearing facial coverings, a violation of one of the public health orders that were issued as Music City began reopening.

“This is selective enforcement,” Bryan told WKRN. “Mayor Cooper cannot have it both ways. The business owners in Nashville are sick and tired of this, if we were under Governor Lee’s plan, we would already be in Phase Four.”

“Mr. Smith thinks it’s very unfair that the mayor would invite 5 or 10,000 people to a rally in violation of Phase Two and then a certain group of these people go and destroy hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars worth of property here in Nashville,” he continued, “And the Metro Health Department and Mayor Cooper have the audacity to come down and cite Mr. Smith’s businesses.”