By Brian Trusdell (NEWSMAX)
Officials in a town along the New Jersey shore believe they’ve tracked a cluster of novel coronavirus infections in a group of people between 15 and 19 to a house party on July 11 but are getting “less than satisfactory” cooperation with those who attended the gathering.
The lack of cooperation resulted in the Middletown Health Department issuing a statement Wednesday asking parents if they believe their child was exposed to self-quarantine and look for symptoms.
“If you think your child may have attended such a party, or participates in sports or any other group activity that may have included anyone potentially exposed, please ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days to monitor for signs and symptoms,” it said.
The statement did not say how many tested positive from the party, but radio station WCBS in New York reported it was about 20, and quoted Mayor Tony Perry pleading for assistance.
“People think that they’re ratting on individuals or what have you,” he said. “It’s not anything like that. You’re not anything like that. You’re not getting anyone in trouble. This is all just about preventing the further spread and further possibility of COVID-19 exposures.”
The health department said it was conducting an investigation but had met with resistance.
“The Department is conducting contact tracing in an attempt to better track and narrow down the extent of the cluster we are seeing,” it said. “Unfortunately, responsiveness has been less than satisfactory, with many refusing to answer our questions. It is imperative that everyone cooperate in this potentially serious matter as we continue to fight this virus.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also chimed in, assuring people the issue wasn’t about underage drinking.
“I’m not wild about 15-year-olds, or whatever, drinking alcohol on the one hand,” he told WCBS. “Please, don’t break the law. Period. But on the one hand, this isn’t a witch hunt.”
The report comes on the heels of a similar case earlier this month in Clarkstown, New York, north of New York City, where Rockland County officials finally obtained cooperation with attendees of a party held June 17 after issuing subpoenas and threatening them with $2,000-a-day fines.
The party in that case was traced as the source of nine confirmed infections of people in their early 20s, LoHud.com reported.
