All it took was one packed bar. An infected patron. And a wild party afterward.
This is the toxic combination that has led to a new wave of COVID-19 cases in the Grosse Pointe community, where at least 30 new cases in recent days have been tied to an outbreak at a popular East Lansing bar almost 100 miles away.
Harper’s Restaurant & Brew Pub saw shoulder-to-shoulder crowds after reopening earlier this month, including some college students from the affluent Grosse Pointes who unknowingly got infected and brought the virus back home. According to multiple families who are now in quarantine, one of those students who visited Harper’s came into contact with a friend who held a huge house party in Grosse Pointe Woods, where dozens of friends partied without masks and social distancing, they said.
The party was held on a Friday night, parents said. The host was symptomatic during the party, got sicker over the weekend and was tested for COVID-19 on Monday, though didn’t share the positive results with friends until Tuesday night, parents said.
By then, the virus had spread among college-age kids hanging out for the summer.
“I’m just so frustrated,” said one mother, whose 19-year-old daughter has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a bonfire with friends in Grosse Pointe. “I’m so sad. We stayed home as ordered and then let our guard down — and now this.”
According to the mother, who requested anonymity to protect her family’s privacy, her daughter did not go to Harper’s or the party in Grosse Pointe Woods, but rather became infected after attending a bonfire with friends who had been exposed to the students who had gone to Harper’s. Now her whole family is in quarantine, and she’s worried, anxious and scared.
“It’s everywhere — and I get that. And perhaps she shouldn’t (have gone) to a bonfire,” the mother said. “So now we wait for our test results and pray … Praying is all we have.”
As of late Friday, the number of COVID-19 cases linked to Harper’s brew pub had increased to 76, according to Ingham County health officials.
Fallout from the college bar, meanwhile, continues to be felt in the Grosse Pointes, which saw 23 new COVID-cases Friday. That’s 30 percent of all the new cases seen that day in Wayne County, which saw 76 total new cases. Grosse Pointe Park saw the most infections.
“Twelve new cases were diagnosed just today, which is the biggest jump in one day, as far as I know, since this started,” Grosse Pointe Park Councilwoman Aimee Fluitt wrote late Friday on Facebook.
Two days earlier, she had noted that Grosse Pointe Park had seen just two new cases.
This uptick in COVID-19 cases has many on edge in the Grosse Pointes. One family canceled their son’s graduation party. Youth sporting events have been canceled. Some parents are wary about hiring college kids as babysitters.
“This is not a subject to keep quiet and pretend it doesn’t effect affluent neighborhoods such as ours. Covid takes all prisoners,” said Grosse Pointe Park resident Nicole DeLano. “Knowledge, quarantining, and testing will stop the spread in our community. Please practice CDC guidelines … This seems an impossible feat.”
Late Friday evening, the city of Grosse Pointe Park addressed the uptick in cases on its Facebook page as the city’s COVID-19 numbers have ballooned from two to six to 12 in the three days.
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“For the last week or so, the counts in the Grosse Pointes have been increasing by about 10-15 in total after having been stable for about a month. Due to the spike in cases today, the City is asking residents, neighbors and friends to please continue the following:
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow when coughing or sneezing.
- Wear a mask and keep a 6-foot distance.
- Wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Grosse Pointe Park Councilwoman Aimee Fluitt also addressed COVID-19 on her Facebook page, but before the new wave hit.
“The numbers haven’t changed in a long time,” the Wednesday post read, “but today two new cases were diagnosed.”
That was Wedneday. By Friday, the number had jumped to 12, which has Grosse Pointe Park officials calling for the public to be vigilant with social distancing and masks.
As Fluitt cautioned on Facebook: “It’s not over yet. Keep taking precautions. Wear a mask, and stay safe.”
According to Wayne County public health records, here is a breakdown of COVID-19 cases in the Grosse Pointes as of Friday:
- Grosse Pointe Park: 63 cases total. 7 deaths. 12 new cases.
- Grosse Pointe City: 41 cases total. 3 deaths. 0 new cases
- Grosse Pointe Farms: 56 cases total. 4 deaths. 5 new cases
- Grosse Pointe Woods: 118 cases total. 18 deaths. 4 new cases
- Grosse Pointe Shores: 15 cases total. 2 deaths. 2 new cases
Friday marked the sixth straight day that Michigan saw a rise in COVID-19 cases after flattening the curve, an achievement that allowed many businesses to reopen and brought what appeared to be some normalcy back in peoples’ lives, at least for a brief moment.
To date, Michigan has seen more than 62,000 cases total and nearly 5,900 deaths.
Harper’s, meanwhile, has temporarily closed to update the brew pub with new safety features. It announced this news June 22, stating:
“It has been a very difficult time for everyone during the COVID pandemic … we have experienced long lines on the public sidewalk in front of our building. We have attempted to instruct customers waiting in line to wear face coverings and practice social distancing through signage on the public sidewalk and with a banner on our railing. Our oversight of the line on our stairs has been successful, but trying to get customers to follow our recommendations on the public sidewalk has been challenging.”
It continued: “Because we have no authority to control lines on public property, we are left with the dilemma of staying open and letting this situation continue, or closing until we can devise a strategy that eliminates the lines altogether … we have chosen to close temporarily to do two things – implement a program to eliminate lines, and to modify our HVAC system to install an air purifying technology while the air is being conditioned and re-circulated.”
The restaurant did not address the COVID-19 outbreak linked to its business.
“Given the number of cases in this outbreak, we consider this a higher risk exposure than a typical visit to a restaurant or bar,” Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail has previously said. “There are likely more people infected with COVID-19 not yet identified. We need help from people who went to Harper’s during the exposure dates so that we can contain the outbreak. We need everyone exposed to stay home.”
The Ingham County Health Department is urging anyone who visited the East Lansing bar between June 12 and June 20 to quarantine for two weeks from the day of their visit.
Contact Tresa Baldas:[email protected]
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