Bars in Monongalia County had been closed for six weeks. After just two nights of service, Gov. Jim Justice ordered them to close again — this time indefinitely.
The closure comes after pictures were posted on social media Tuesday night, showing patrons lined up to get into a downtown bar without masks and without social distancing.
In at least one of the pictures, the bar is clearly closed — its garage door is shut.
In response to the photos, West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee expressed his disappointment in students who showed a “flagrant disregard” for the community’s safety.
The university will work to identify as many students involved as possible and refer them to Student Conduct for discipline, Gee wrote in a letter to the university and Morgantown communities.
The WVU president’s letter offered no concrete plans to prevent future gatherings, but stated that the university will “continue to partner with the City of Morgantown and Monongalia County Health Department to keep our community safe and healthy.”
A WVU spokesperson was unable to provide answers regarding any plans the university had to prevent incidents such as Tuesday’s.
It’s unclear if Justice consulted with WVU or Gee prior to closing the bars again or what the university’s recommendation was, if he did. A WVU spokesperson did not answer those questions in time for this report.
Many on social media expressed a lack of shock at the pictures, seeing them as a predictable result of bars opening while students are in town.
Morgantown Police Department was aware of the crowd. However, it dissipated prior to officers arriving, Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy said.
“The city and county have long agreed that they would like for the bars to remain closed to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and city administration was pleased to hear that the governor ordered Monongalia County bars to close as of 4 p.m. [Wednesday],” Stacy said.
The city council and county commission have urged Justice to make CARES Act funding available to the bar industry to help alleviate the financial burden of the shutdown, he said.
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