East Lansing, Michigan residents have been asked to self-quarantine due to a rash of new coronavirus cases in the community. According to a report by CNN, about 85 people contracted COVID-19 this month after visiting one East Lansing bar, and that number has been rising rapidly. Experts say they think there are more cases linked to Harper’s Restaurant & Brew Pub that have not been discovered yet.
“Given the number of cases in this outbreak, we consider this a higher risk exposure than a typical visit to a restaurant or bar,” said Ingham County Health officer Linda S. Vail. “There are likely more people infected with COVID-19 not yet identified.” Harper’s staff reportedly followed all COVID-19 safety guidelines for staff, including limited customer capacity and extra table spacing. Still, many customers reported contracting the coronavirus after visiting Harper’s between June 12 and June 20 — so many that the restaurant decided to close down temporarily.
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Harper’s is reportedly installing new air purifying technology in its HVAC system as a further precaution against COVID-19 and public health threats in general. The restaurant is also exploring a new method for eliminating lines within the establishment, it announced on Facebook.
The cases associated with Harper’s rose sharply after investigators began looking more closely. Between June 24 and June 27, 34 new cases were traced to the bar, bringing the total to 85. There is no word yet on when the restaurant will reopen.
Even as state and local governments allow some public spaces and restaurants to reopen, public health officials are urging people not to go out to them — especially young adults. On Friday, CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield and the coronavirus task force’s Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke at a press conference, appealing directly to young people.
“The overwhelming majority now of people getting infected are young people, likely the people that you see in the clips in the paper or out in crowds enjoying themselves,” Fauci said, according to a report by CBS News. He asked these people not to think about their health, but the health of others, saying: “if you get infected, you will infect someone else, who clearly will infect someone else.”
“Ultimately, you will infect someone who’s vulnerable,” Fauci went on. “That may be somebody’s grandmother or grandfather, uncle who’s on chemotherapy and who’s on radiation or chemotherapy, or a child who has leukemia.”
“I also want to appeal to the millennials and those that are under 40,” Redfield added. “It’s really important that this group really commit themselves to these practices to protect those at risk… And it’s not just the elderly that are at risk. Many of us may have friends and colleagues that are younger that may not advertise their underlying co-morbidities.”
