#NJ bar spotted packing in maskless revelers shutters after staffer tests positive

A Jersey Shore tiki bar was forced to shutter Sunday when one of its workers tested positive for coronavirus — a day after the watering hole was packed with a number of maskless patrons.

The crowd was spotted at The Captain’s Inn outdoor bar in Forked River on Saturday afternoon just after 4:30 p.m. and again around 6 p.m. with a few dozen patrons drinking in close quarters, sans masks.

The next day, the restaurant broke the news to its customers that it was closing for two days for a deep cleaning after one of their employees tested positive “due to an outside influence.”

“For the safety of our staff and patrons we will be temporarily closed to professionally sanitize and disinfect our property,” the eatery posted on Instagram.

Video taken Saturday afternoon showed the workers with masks on and a bouncer wearing a handkerchief as he checked the IDs of two women, who were also wearing face coverings.

But the clip also shows dozens of customers crowded — many of them without masks on and not practicing social distancing.

New Jersey law requires patrons to stay six feet apart in areas where groups don’t have assigned seating.

A woman who answered the phone at The Captain’s Inn told The Post the bar has bouncers counting people coming in so that the bar stays under the state’s limit — but she admitted the difficultly in controlling the crowd.

“It’s very difficult if they stay or don’t move,” said the woman, who declined to identify herself before rushing off the phone.

“We do the very best we can.”

The woman did say patrons could be seated at a table if they didn’t feel comfortable.

The restaurant has two outdoor dining areas with socially distanced tables set up. Servers there could be seen working with masks on.

The Captain’s Inn did not say when the staffer who tested positive was last at work.