New Cluster Of Covid Cases At The Lake Not Related To Memorial Day, Health Dept. Says

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — Lake area health departments say several new Covid-19 cases have emerged in the Lake area in the past week.

Camden County Health Department Administrator Bee Dampier suggested in a press release on Wednesday that while the cases may be connected to one another, they do not appear to be related to the increased vacationer traffic brought by Memorial Day weekend. It has been three-and-a-half weeks since Memorial Day crowds brought national attention to Lake of the Ozarks.

Dampier says the new cases involve "a group of friends and co-workers at several Lake area businesses." She did not specify which businesses the employees worked at, but both Tirebiters and Dominico's restaurants (which sit about a hundred yards apart in Osage Beach) have announced in the past week they had an employee test positive for Covid and had closed out of abundance of caution. Neither of those employees were working while they were considered infectious, according to Dampier and Dominico's Facebook page. It is unclear how many cases local health departments are investigating. Dampier announced a new case in Camden County on June 14. Miller County Health Department Administrator Michael Herbert announced the county had two new cases of coronavirus on June 13 and announced two more cases on June 17. Herbert said those two were not linked epidemiologically to each other. The county has had a total of nine documented cases. This week, Morgan County Health Department Administrator Shawn Brantley announced three new cases in that county (bringing Morgan County's total case number to 12), and said one of the three was travel-related.

Dampier said close contacts of the new cases have been identified and instructed to quarantine for 14 days from their last exposure. "Due to the high number of contacts and businesses involved, there is likelihood of more cases developing as this investigation continues," she said.

Missouri has had a total of 16,625 cases as of June 17 with 909 deaths attributed to Covid, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The Lake area has had a total of 66 documented cases; 45 have been in Camden County.

Dampier also noted there are no restrictions regarding travel in Missouri, and the potential for exposure will continue; she urged individuals to make their own choices and determine what level of risk is best for them and their families: "Due to the high volume of visitors to the Lake area this time of year, the potential for contact to a person who has Covid and doesn't know it yet will continue after this particular cluster of events has passed. Everyone needs to make a personal decision as to where they go and what they do based on what is best for themselves and their families."

The full press release from the Camden County Health Department is below.

Camden, Miller and Morgan County Health Departments are investigating a cluster of Covid 19 cases involving a group of friends and co-workers at several Lake area businesses during the timeframe of June 7-15. Camden has 6 cases, Miller has 2, and Morgan has 1 case associated with this cluster. All cases have been notified and instructed to isolate at home until they meet CDC criteria for release. None are hospitalized. Close contacts have been identified and instructed to quarantine for 14 days from last exposure. Due to the high number of contacts and businesses involved, there is likelihood of more cases developing as this investigation continues. There does not appear to be any link to these cases and the Memorial Day activities.

Please monitor yourself and your family for signs and symptoms of Covid-19. If you develop anything suspicious, please stay home and contact your medical provider to arrange testing. All Health Care Providers in the 3 county area have testing available. Symptoms of Covid-19 are:

Fever, Chills, Dry Cough, Shortness of Breath, Headache, Loss of Sense of Taste or Smell, Fatigue, Muscle Aches, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea. Incubation period is 2-14 days.

Currently there are no State restrictions for travel or activity other than recommendations for Social Distancing as much as possible and using masks if one chooses to do so. It is up to each individual to make a personal decision on whether or not to visit a particular event or business based on what is best for themselves Due to the high volume of visitors to the Lake area this time of year, the potential for contact to a person who has Covid and doesn't know it yet will continue after this particular cluster of events has passed. Everyone needs to make a personal decision as to where they go and what they do based on what is best for themselves and their families. If you don't feel safe going to a particular business or event, please don't go.