The Webster County attorney confirmed to KCCI on Monday that he was investigating reports of an event that filled a bar and grill in Dayton with a celebration of life on Friday at the Iron Saddle Saloon, according to Webster County Health Department spokesperson Kelli Bloomquist, photos from the event show a full bar with no COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place. “People were crammed into the bar,” Bloomquist said. “Shoulder to shoulder, no social distancing (and) no mask.” Dayton Mayor Dave Bills told KCCI he attended the celebration of life. At first, Bills said the event was no problem because everyone knew each other. “I’m not too concerned about the health risks of the way we handled it that night,” Bills said. “I’m probably one of those people that I think people understand, and I’m kind of the governor. We are smart people. If you are comfortable without a mask this should be our choice I guess. Bills said the crowd after the funeral was larger than expected and overwhelmed the bar. He reluctantly admitted that the rally may have been a violation of COVID-19. “We all agreed that we were going to take a look at it, and we are going to handle it very differently next time,” he said. The Webster County Department of Health said it was a good idea. “We are seeing these numbers go down because people wear masks, because they socially distance themselves,” Bloomquist said. “This is what we want to see. So whenever we see large groups of individuals where they aren’t, we want them to because that’s what’s going to help us. Webster County District Attorney Darron Driscoll said he supports the use of the mask and continues to investigate the event.
The Webster County attorney confirmed to KCCI on Monday that he was investigating reports of an event that filled a bar and grill in Dayton.
A celebration of life took place at the Iron Saddle Saloon on Friday.
According to Webster County Health Department spokesperson Kelli Bloomquist, photos from the event show a full bar with no COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place.
“People were packed in the bar,” Bloomquist said. “Shoulder to shoulder, no social distancing (and) no mask.”
Dayton Mayor Dave Bills told KCCI he attended the celebration of life. At first, Bills said the event was no problem as everyone knew each other.
“I’m not too concerned about the health risks associated with the way we handled it that night,” Bills said. “I’m probably one of those people that I think people understand, and I’m kind of the governor. We are smart people. If you are comfortable without a mask this should be our choice I guess.
Bills said the crowd after the funeral was larger than expected and overwhelmed the bar. He reluctantly admitted that the rally may have been a violation of COVID-19.
“We all agreed that we were going to look at it, and we are going to handle it in a very different way next time,” he said.
The Webster County Department of Health said it was a good idea.
“We are seeing these numbers go down because people are wearing masks, because they are socially distanced,” Bloomquist said. “This is what we want to see. So whenever we see large groups of individuals where they aren’t, we want them to because that’s what’s going to help us.
Webster County District Attorney Darron Driscoll said he supports the use of the mask and continues to investigate the event.
