Health officials in Michigan said Monday that 43 people who tested positive for COVID-19 likely caught the disease at a single house party in Michigan over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
According to a statement from the Washtenaw County Health Department, the majority of the cases were among people between the ages of 15 and 25 who was at the party, or had come into contact with someone at the party between July 2 and July 3. Another 66 people, including employees and customers of retail stores, restaurants, clubs, camps and residents in a retirement community were exposed to the virus.
"Anyone who attended the initial event or knows they were exposed should self-quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days," the department's statement said.
Officials are asking anyone who might have attended the party to self-quarantine for 14 days and go to their doctor if they experience any symptoms of COVID-19.
“This is a very clear example of how quickly this virus spreads and how many people can be impacted in a very short amount of time” says Jimena Loveluck, MSW, Health Officer with Washtenaw County Health Department. “We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths without full community support and cooperation.
“We need people of all ages, including young people, to take COVID-19 seriously and follow public health guidelines and instructions. That means avoiding large gatherings without physical distancing or face coverings. It also means cooperating with the Health Department to complete case investigation and contact tracing,” Loveluck added.
The Mayor of Saline, Brian D. Marl, said in a statement that no one "wants to be the reason someone in our community or county becomes seriously ill or dies."
“We have the opportunity to work together and with our local health department to contain this as quickly as possible," Marl said. "We know what we need to do, and we can certainly do it.”
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