City Orders Wheelhouse, Start Bar To Close Until 2022 For Public Health Violations

CBS St. Louis

January 21, 2021

St. Louis City has once again ordered the closure of Wheelhouse and Start Bar for violating the city's public health orders. Now - the order is for a whole year. Dr. Fredrick Echols, the city's acting director of health, said in his letter to Wheelhouse and Start Bar that they broke two public health orders: requiring social distancing and requiring facial coverings. This comes after Echols received several tips from residents showing videos and photos of rooms full of people without masks or distance at the downtown bars. The city has ordered the establishment to close twice last year, in July and in November. The November order set the closure to last 14 days. This time, Echols said the bars "shall be closed effective immediately, and shall not be reopened before January 19, 2022, unless and until I order otherwise." The July closures came after a video surfaced showing a packed crowd at Wheelhouse. The video showed a crowd of people on the dance floor and no one was seen wearing face masks. The bar owners sued the city and a judge agreed with the city, saying the health department has the authority to close down businesses violating public health orders during the pandemic. The owners sued the city again in November after the second closure order, claiming the order to shut down their operations was made without a chance to defend themselves. A judge once again sided with the city.