A bar opening event in rural Illinois in February was linked to 46 Covid-19 cases, the closure of a school that affected 650 children and the hospitalization of a resident of a long-term care facility, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disease Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report Monday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health identified 29 people who tested positive for Covid-19 or had Covid-19-like symptoms within 14 days of the event. All 29 cases were confirmed by Covid-19 antigen or nucleic acid amplification tests, except for one probable symptom that did not receive tests.
These bar participants had close contact with at least 71 people. Of the 37 close contacts tested for Covid-19, 17 were positive within 14 days of contact.
Two of the Covid-19 secondary cases were sports students in close contact with a bar participant with Covid-19 who participated in indoor sports and in-person classes. The school district closed for two weeks starting February 18 after 13 staff members were unable to work due to isolation, quarantine or their quarantined child.
Three of the Covid-19 secondary cases were long-term care residents in close contact with a bar attendant who worked as a certified nurse nurse. The nurse gave positive results to Covid-19 four days after the bar opened. One of these secondary cases of Covid-19 was hospitalized within 14 days of a positive test result and discharged on the same day.
Two weeks after the event, the average seven-day daily incidence of Covid-19 in the county doubled to at least 86 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
“Bars may play a role in the spread of the COVID-19 community due to the limited use of masks while eating or drinking and the lack of consistent physical distance,” the authors wrote in the report. “These findings show that SARS-CoV transmission from a business such as a bar not only affects the bar’s customers and employees, but can also affect an entire community. “
The event took place indoors, with no outside airflow. Participants mentioned inconsistent use of the mask and ignoring 6-foot physical distance guidelines. Although the total number of people who attended the event is unknown, the bar can accommodate about 100 people.
The high percentage of symptomatic people related to the event, 82.6%, as well as the reluctance of many people to disclose contacts suggest that the actual number of cases was higher than found, according to the CDC report.
“As Community businesses begin to reopen, these findings underline the importance of businesses and individuals adhering to public health prevention and mitigation guidelines in order to reduce additional Community transmission, including isolation after receiving a COVID-19 diagnosis and while they face similar symptoms, even if vaccination efforts are expanding, ”the authors wrote.