A dozen new coronavirus cases trace back to Jersey Shore ‘beach house gatherings’

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A sign warning beachgoers to wear masks due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on the Wildwood Boardwalk.
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A dozen new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania were traced to recent Jersey Shore “beach house gatherings,” health officials said.

The Buck County Health Department in Pennsylvania reported 33 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including 11 that can be traced back to a New Jersey resident “who attended multiple house gatherings at the shore during the past two weeks.”

Another Bucks County resident who became infected from the same New Jersey source was announced Friday.

“This is exactly why we can’t let our guard down now, even if it feels ‘safe’ to be at the beach,” David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department, wrote in a press release. “One unlucky exposure can lead to a large cascade of cases down the line.”

“We want everyone to enjoy the warmer weather and have fun, but let’s keep in mind that COVID is still circulating in the community at baseline levels,” he continued.

The department released information on these cases to “caution people against letting down their guard and just getting back to business as usual.”

“Obviously it’s still out there, and if you have too many people in one place and somebody’s got the virus, it’s still able to be spread,” said Damsker.

Officials did not disclose the locations or dates of the gatherings.

There have been 5,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Bucks County.

As of Sunday, there are 164,164 confirmed cases in New Jersey and 12,176 residents have died in the outbreak.