An Ohio nightclub has been ordered to temporarily shut down for its “blatant disregard of COVID-19 health orders” after about 500 people attended a concert by singer Trey Songz.
Police who entered Aftermath in Columbus, Ohio, around 9:30 p.m. Saturday “observed egregious violations of health orders as approximately 500 people inside attended a concert,” according to a statement from the Ohio Investigative Unit.
OIU went on to describe the dance floor, stage, bar and table sections as “crowded” with “no attempts to maintain social distancing and no physical barriers in place.” Officers also said they saw patrons sharing drinks and that the majority of people were not wearing masks.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein on Tuesday announced “an immediate, temporary shutdown [of] the nightclub.”
“Last weekend’s indoor concert at Aftermath was in blatant disregard of COVID-19 health orders and social distancing best practices,” Klein said in a statement. “We are in the middle of a surge in coronavirus infections, yet the owners of Aftermath planned to continue hosting large-scale events at their venue, including this upcoming weekend. In the interest of community health, we secured an immediate shutdown of this property.”
Neither Aftermath nor Trey Songz immediately responded to a request for comment.
Trey Songz tested positive for COVID-19 in October, telling The Breakfast Club that he would self-quarantine at his home until he tested negative. He also added that he believes the death of his grandfather earlier this year was caused by COVID-19.
“I’ve always taken it serious. And if you come in contact with COVID, please do the same,” he said of self-quarantining. “Don’t be like the president.”
There have been more than 500,000 cases of coronavirus in Ohio and more than 7,000 deaths linked to the virus, per the state’s Department of Health.
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