D.C. officials close The Wharf following viral photos of a packed fish market

https://twitter.com/falcicchio/status/1246744031662608384

D. C. officials shut down the historic Wharf Fish Market after images that went viral social media showed a packed market on Saturday.

Emergency signs say the closure will remain in place until April 24th, but the Mayor’s office tells FOX 5 city leaders will give the market operators a chance to reopen.

Workers, delivery trucks, even customers – they all arrived before 7 a.m. to find orange “Emergency Closure Notice” signs posted throughout the market on Sunday morning. The date and times were marked as having gone into effect mostly after 11 p.m. the night before.

The closure comes after images posted on social media sparked a huge backlash. The images showed a packed Wharf by the Fish Market on Saturday, with plenty of people not keeping their distance despite signs telling them to stay six feet apart. An emergency “Stay At Home” order issued by D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser went into effect this week, encouraging people to stay home and limit their exposure to others as much as possible.

Celebrity chef Jose Andres was one of the first high-profile figures to call for the market's closure:

https://twitter.com/chefjoseandres/status/1246729851232497664

He also thanked city officials for taking action:

https://twitter.com/chefjoseandres/status/1246747580505239553

Some fish market employees walked away stunned and others were disappointed after arriving to work to find the market closed.

“I probably would be too. I mean, a lot of people not working now,” Greg Sellers, a would-be customer who drove from Woodbridge, Va., said. “I thank God I’m working, I appreciate that. But yea, I would probably be upset.”

Sellers said he understood the shutdown after Fox 5 showed him images of the packed market Saturday.

Penny White and her husband, who own Captain White Seafood City, went to the Wharf on Sunday morning to speak to their staff. White told FOX 5 in her frustration, they did present a COVID-19 safety plan to officials.

“I got a plan right here. Showed it to the Mayor earlier in the week,” White said. “No way were we expecting that many people yesterday. I’m willing to modify to make it right. I want people’s safety just as well as anyone else. We all do. I have my families here.”

White and her husband tell FOX 5 they had hired three security guards. Their son showed newly taped-off areas to separate customers for today. They’re now looking to implement a plan similar to Costco's limiting customers.

The family told FOX 5 more than a 100 employees are involved and that the market also honors food stamps f... (Read more)

Latest News