#Michigan house party linked to 43 new coronavirus cases

Health officials say 43 new cases of coronavirus have been traced to a single house party in Michigan, according to reports.

The party, which took place from July 2 to July 3 in the city of Saline, may have also exposed as many as 66 other people, not including family members in the home, the Washtenaw County Health Department said in a release Monday.

“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,” health department official Jimena Loveluck said in the release.

“We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations, and deaths without full community support and cooperation.”

The partygoers went on to expose people in retail stores, restaurants, businesses, sports teams, clubs and camps, and even canoe liveries, health officials said. Others traveled out of state and out of the country after the party, the release said.

Officials are asking anyone who was at the party to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor any symptoms.

“None of us wants to be the reason someone in our community or county becomes seriously ill or dies,” Saline Mayor Brian Marl said in the release. “We have the opportunity to work together and with our local health department to contain this as quickly as possible.”

The recent resurgence of the global pandemic in parts of the US has included clusters linked to large gatherings in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, California, Texas, and New Jersey, CNN reported.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said over the weekend that many new cases in his state stemmed from backyard gatherings, prompting him to issue a mandate limiting get-togethers to fewer than 50 people, the network said.