Gov. Murphy Addresses COVID Cases Linked To Manasquan's Leggetts

MANASQUAN – Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday addressed criticism that he and others were singling out Leggetts Sand Bar after the state linked a coronavirus outbreak to the establishment.

Several COVID-19 cases involving bartenders and servers have been linked to a Manasquan bar and restaurant, state officials said.

Reporters told Murphy during his Thursday news conference, however, that the establishment felt that a few people not-so-connected to the bar were responsible for the outbreak.

"There are bad actors and enforcing and compliance are going to be areas of high focus," Murphy said, noting that the outbreak was one of the reasons why he imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and bars across the state. Bar seating also has been eliminated.

"The fact of the matter is (with) restaurants (is) there's evidence all over the place that supports that if they're open later at night, habits change," he said. "They morph into something other than a restaurant."

As for the complains about the new restrictions, Murphy said: "When was the last time you had a dinner reservation at 10 p.m.?"

"The fact that folks are making these claims proves the point," he said.

Nine bartenders and servers were infected with the coronavirus linked to the Leggetts Sand Bar, said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli

The state Department of Health issued an alert to notify people about possible exposure to the virus at the establishment.

The DOH says anybody who visited Leggetts between Oct. 17th and 22nd may have been exposed to the coronavirus, officials said.

The bar is cooperating and health officials visited the site on Oct. 23rd, officials said.

The state and Monmouth County health departments are investigating.

The state made the announcement after announcing that outbreaks have taken place at New Jersey bars over the past few weeks.

The outbreaks led Gov. Phil Murphy to impose new restrictions on restaurants and bars. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Impose New NJ Restrictions As COVID-19 Cases Spike