Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman questioned whether recent cases of COVID-19 are actually connected to travel. “I find it hard to believe that they can identify that they picked it up on their trip.”
Scioto County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Martin blamed travelers to Myrtle and Daytona Beach for a recent spike in Coronavirus cases this week. Cases held steady for some time, but nine new cases were reported since Monday. The health department reported no new cases today.
Vacationers Blamed
In a statement regarding the new cases, the Scioto County Health Department said the new cases were a result of people traveling to places like Myrtle Beach and Daytona Beach and not taking proper precautions. Dr. Martin said people should reconsider travel to these areas. If you do travel, you should avoid large crowds, practice social distancing, wear a mask in public, and wash your hands often.
Seventeen high school students from Belmont County, Ohio tested positive for the virus after they returned from Myrtle Beach on June 13.
West Virginia’s Preston County Health Department tied 30 new cases of Coronavirus to trips to Myrtle Beach. The Virginia Department of Health requested that all travelers to Myrtle Beach voluntarily self-quarantine after returning home.
Following The Guidelines
Coleman said she’s seen first-hand that people in the Carolinas are following the rules. “I have a home down there. I can assure you that the businesses and the people there were going by the guidelines.”
She witnessed more compliance with guidelines there than back home in Scioto County. “Everywhere you went, people were social distancing and wearing their masks. I get back here and people aren’t following the guidelines.”
Impossible To Know
Commissioner Coleman said she understands that the family who traveled to Myrtle Beach were all tested for COVID-19 and only half of them tested positive. She said the husband had COVID-19 but the wife tested negative. Coleman said it’s possible the family picked up the virus in Myrtle Beach but there are plenty of other possibilities as well. “Who knows if they got it from here before they left?” She pointed out that travelers would stop at restaurants, hotels, and gas stations on the way to Myrtle Beach and back.
Coleman also questioned policies regarding quarantine. She asked why the wife who tested negative and showed no symptoms was also quarantined, but added, “That’s my opinion.”
Common Sense
Commissioner Bryan Davis urged everyone to use common sense. “Our health commissioner is advising against travel. Several people who contracted Coronavirus while traveling to beaches. People need to be very cautious is they do travel to those locations, they need to be careful. They need to practice distancing.”
Davis said there’s no way to know exactly how people contracted the virus. “We don’t what exactly these people did. Were they in close contact with strangers? Keep your distance, especially if you’re going in a place where you don’t know the other people.”
Commissioner Mike Crabtree had this simple solution. “I don’t go to beaches.”
