After the St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson chastised the throngs of people who packed into a pool at the Lake of the Ozarks during Memorial Day weekend for acting "irresponsible and dangerous,” the health department is mandating the partiers stay at home for the next 14 days.
After photos of crowds of people at Lake of the Ozarks circulated, St. Louis County issued a travel advisory and the Kansas City health director announced the people in attendance must self-quarantine, NBC News reports.
"This reckless behavior endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19," Dr. Sam Page, the county executive, said in a statement.
The health department expressed concern in a travel advisory as those who attended without safety precautions returned back to work.
"Any person who has traveled and engaged in this behavior should self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result for COVID-19," the advisory states.
The advisory recommends employers to ask workers about recent travels. The Lake of the Ozarks region is located about 150 miles west of downtown St. Louis.
Dr. Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department, tweeted his disappointment at the lack of social distancing.
"Anyone who didn't practice CDC, DHSS, and KCMO Health Department social distancing guidance should self quarantine for 14 days if they have any compassion for others," Archer wrote along with a video of the weekend partying at Lake of the Ozarks.
Camden County Sheriff Tony Helms said in a statement Monday that it was a "record weekend" at Lake of the Ozarks. He said a lack of social distancing is not a crime and that his department had no authority to enforce it. He said public health violations are up to health authorities, he said.
"We expect residents and visitors alike to exhibit personal responsibility at the lake," Helms said.
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