2nd COVID-19 case tied to Missouri Memorial weekend parties

OLATHE, Kan. – Health officials in suburban Kansas City have linked a new coronavirus case to Memorial Day weekend parties at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Epidemiologist Elizabeth Holzschuh told the Johnson County, Kansas, board of commissioners Thursday that the infected resident visited the same bar as a resident of Boone County in mid-Missouri who previously tested positive, The Kansas City Star reports.

“We all need to continue to be aware that COVID-19 is in our community and we need to be doing the proper precautionary measures — wearing masks and staying as physically distanced as much as possible,” Holzschuh said.

Social media postings last month showed large crowds of mostly young people without masks and not adhering to social distancing guidelines at pools along the central Missouri lake that is a popular weekend getaway spot. The pictures and video of crowds at the lake prompted a public outcry and led health officials to urge anyone who attended the parties to self-quarantine for 14 days.