ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -The St. Louis Department of Health has temporarily shuttered four businesses it says were disregarding face mask and social distancing mandates.
Wheelhouse, Start Bar, Big Daddy's on the Landing, and Marquee Restaurant and Lounge were all told Tuesday they need to shut down for 14 days.
Mayor Lyda Krewson says she's taking this approach because the majority of bars and restaurants in the city are trying to follow the rules.
The city says it will continue to monitor compliance among all businesses, explore additional enforcement measures, and issue cease and desist letters when necessary. The new initiative comes after videos were shared on social media from a downtown bar, Wheelhouse, showing jam-packed crowds on the dance floor this weekend.
In St. Louis County, all bars and restaurants will have to close at 10 p.m. starting this Friday.
“So many of our businesses including bars, restaurants, large venues, retail stores, and offices, have gone to great lengths to strictly comply with our mandates to protect their workers and the public. They’re doing it right,” said Krewson. “Establishments who continue to openly flout these rules and endanger the public’s health and safety can no longer stay open.”
Krewson has a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The state of Missouri reported nearly 1,800 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, to set another state record for the number of new cases in a 24-hour period. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.