Health officials say partiers who attended a crowded pool party at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri over the Memorial Day weekend should self-quarantine.
Citing news reports of large crowds at Lake of the Ozarks, the St. Louis County Public Health Department issued a travel advisory as the Kansas City health director called for revelers to stay-home after attending the jampacked pool party.
“This reckless behavior endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” said County Executive Dr. Sam Page. “I encourage everyone to follow the Department of Public Health advisory to determine a safe path forward in the workplace.”
The advisory from the health department cited concerns that residents in the St. Louis area traveled to Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend.
"Any person who has traveled and engaged in this behavior should self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result for COVID-19," the advisory said.
Employers are also being asked to screen their workers for health risks and ask employees about their recent travel plans.
The owner of the bar where the pool party occurred told NBC News that it would try to prevent large groups to gather and enforce social distancing, however, "we don't know who's in groups, who's in families. We expect them to do that on their own."
Jodi Atkins told NBC that guests who attended the pool party had their temperature taken, and hand sanitizer was available.
"If you're worried about getting sick, obviously, or you want to distance yourself, it's pretty much to each their own," Akins said.
"Anyone who didn't practice CDC, DHSS, and KCMO Health Department social distancing guidance should self quarantine for 14 days if they have any compassion for others," Dr. Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department tweeted alongside a video of partying at Lake of the Ozarks.
Lake of the Ozarks is located about 150 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. Health officials say there have been more than 12,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Missouri, with 685 deaths attributed to the virus alone.
Health officials say the coronavirus can spread rapidly among crowded conditions like those observed at the pool party over the weekend.