Missouri
Amid backlash, bar at Lake of the Ozarks says it stands by Memorial Day weekend party
A bar at Lake of the Ozarks says it stands by the decision to host a party during Memorial Day weekend despite outrage over a lack of social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The owner of Backwater Jack’s Bar & Grill, in Osage Beach, issued a statement Tuesday after videos and images circulating online showed large groups of people disregarding public health recommendations that are meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The bar was one of the businesses featured in the videos. It hosted the “Zero Ducks Given” pool party on Saturday.
In the statement, Gary Prewitt, the bar’s owner, said no laws were broken and recited part of an earlier statement from the local sheriff that said it was “the right and responsibility of each individual” to make decisions about going out in public.
Social distancing guidelines have been set forth by the state. Over the weekend, Camden County Sheriff Tony Helms said those guidelines are not enforceable, saying, “Social distancing is not a crime and therefore the sheriff’s office has no authority to enforce actions in that regard.”
Backwater Jack’s gave some examples of steps that were taken in preparation for the weekend pool party.
Prewitt said that medical staff hired for the bar’s event checked temperatures at both entrances to the pool. The temperature checks “upset many customers,” he added, “however it was an additional layer we chose to implement.” Anyone with a temperature above 100.4 was refused entry, he said.
Hand sanitizer was made available to all attendees, Prewitt added in the statement.
The initial shutdown of in-person dining at bars and restaurants has “already had a tremendous impact” on staff and families, Prewitt said. All staff “were given a choice of whether they wanted to work without any negative consequences if they chose not to,” he said.
“We understand that there are many emotions and feelings involved on every side of the pandemic situation. Any hateful messages attacking our business, our customers, our staff, or other businesses in our community will not be tolerated and removed from our social media,” the statement said. “For our loyal customers who stand in support, thank you. For customers we may have lost, thank you for your previous patronage and we hope to win your business back in the future. We stand by our decision to move forward with Memorial Day Weekend plans. We love our customers and will continue to do our best to provide delicious food, drink, and entertainment at Backwater Jack’s.”
Many outraged at the situation — which drew national attention — feared that that the lake visitors would pick up the virus and take it home to their communities.
Health officials from St. Louis County, Kansas City and Kansas later said those who have returned home from a weekend trip to Lake of the Ozarks should quarantine for 14 days.
Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department, said people who failed to social distance while at the lake should also seek testing for COVID-19.
During a news conference Tuesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson chastised partygoers who flouted social distancing guidelines at Lake of the Ozarks, but said enforcement of any rules would be left to local health officials.
Parson had lifted statewide restrictions on gatherings May 4, but said people must adhere to maintaining six feet of social distancing.
“I think it’s important when social distancing is not followed, this is potentially dangerous for everyone, especially our most at-risk individuals,” Parson continued.
“Some poor decisions were made,” the governor said of the lack of social distancing at Lake of the Ozarks. At the same time Tuesday, Parson said the state would not intervene in enforcing social distancing mandates.
“What they decide to do on the local levels is up to them,” Parson said. “That’s their businesses there, that’s their people there, their economy depends on a lot of that.”
The Missouri Democratic Party has criticized Parson’s recent response to the pandemic, citing the crowds at the Lake of the Ozarks as well as confusion over testing numbers that resulted in artificially lower percentages of positive cases.
The Star’s Katie Moore contributed to this report.
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