For All We Know

Remember that much-publicized and clucked about party at Lake of the Ozarks. The Post-Dispatch reports that despite the dire prediction it does not seem to have produced additional cases of COVID-19:

ST. LOUIS — The large crowds of people at the Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend have not led to any more reported cases of COVID-19, Missouri’s top health official health department said Wednesday.

“The answer, to our knowledge, is no,” Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, said when asked whether more cases have come from the gatherings, photos of which showed throngs of people close together without wearing masks.

Williams answered questions during a daily news briefing in Jefferson City hosted by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to address civil unrest and efforts to contain the coronavirus.

Pictures and videos of the lake crowds had prompted concern among the public and health officials.

One person, a Boone County resident, tested positive last week and likely was infectious while among the crowds. That is according to the Camden County Health Department, which has jurisdiction over much of the Lake of the Ozarks region.

These results are consistent with those following the, again, highly publicized and clucked about spring break parties in Florida. It seems to me that the simplest explanation is that SARS-CoV-2 just isn’t transmitted out-of-doors very easily.

The statewide percentage of SARS-CoV-2 tests with positive results is 6.5%, probably more a consequence of increased testing than of anything else. Over the last month the statewide hospitalizations for COVID-19 have decreased by 40%. I don’t know whether that’s a consequence of fewer serious cases, changing standards for hospital admission for COVID-19, an increased reluctance to seek medical assistance for COVID-19, something else, or all of the above.

5 comments… add one
  • Greyshambler Link

    Quite possible no one there was infected.

  • CuriousOnlooker Link

    Well in other unnoticed news. Michigan’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Governor violated the law by trying to extend and enforce the lockdown beyond the statuary limit.
    https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/06/michigan-state-court-overturns-ruling-on-owosso-barber.html

    Who wants to guess the decision was influenced by the hijinks last week including the Gov participating in a protest that violated her own regulations?

    Is this going to happen to other states?

    Is there potential for civil suits in Federal court for serious violations of civil rights?

  • jan Link

    So far CA is holding onto it’s arbitrarily set COVID guidelines. Non essential travel, stays in hotels are still not allowed. In cities like Los Angeles, people can go to the beach. But, public parking lots around the beaches are closed, leading cars to aimlessly wonder close-by streets to find parking. Restaurants are still very limited in their seating capacity, for those who follow the rules. Stores, if not boarded up because of the riots, are meagerly opened for business. I guess the new normal is it’s easier to loot a store than it is to shop in one!

    Despite all the COVID obstructions, we were able to celebrate yesterday’s anniversary at a rural Topanga Canyon, “hippie“ restaurant frequented by us for years. It reopened just a few days ago, so we jumped at the chance of “eating out” as a treat to ourselves and the longevity of our marriage. Even in this casual, creek-side setting social distancing, masks, and overly emphasized sanitation measures were fully practiced. What was especially enjoyable, drowning out some of the virus nonsense, was hearing people laugh and socialize in a public place. It was music to our ears.

  • Is there potential for civil suits in Federal court for serious violations of civil rights?

    There’s also potential for troops being sent in to remove governors who refuse to comply with judges’ decisions. The combination of a reckless president and heedless outlaw governors is a volatile one.

  • GreyShambler Link

    Never come to that, IMO. Although I know many people are questioning Trump’s sanity right now and I’ve never met him, I’d still assume that he’s posturing. He backed down on sending 10,000 troops to N.Y., although many business owners probably wish that he hadn’t.

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