9 COVID-19 Cases Linked To Leggetts In Manasquan: DOH
MANASQUAN – Several COVID-19 cases involving bartenders and servers have been linked to a Manasquan bar and restaurant, state officials said.
Nine bartenders and servers were infected with the coronavirus linked to the Leggetts Sand Bar, said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli
The state Department of Health issued an alert to notify people about possible exposure to the virus at the establishment.
The DOH says anybody who visited Leggetts between Oct. 17th and 22nd may have been exposed to the coronavirus, officials said.
The bar is cooperating and health officials visited the site on Oct. 23rd, officials said.
The state and Monmouth County health departments are investigating.
The state made the announcement after announcing that outbreaks have taken place at New Jersey bars over the past few weeks.
The outbreaks led Gov. Phil Murphy to impose new restrictions on restaurants and bars. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Impose New NJ Restrictions As COVID-19 Cases Spike
Murphy, speaking during a Monday news conference, said New Jersey COVID-19 numbers are "going in the wrong direction" as he announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants along with limits on indoor youth sports.
Murphy said hospitalizations from COVID-19 have risen above 1,500 for the first time since June. Some of this is now attributable to indoor dining, he says, saying people have gotten "sloppy" with managing the coronavirus at these establishments.
A number of bartenders have been infected with the virus, he said.
"New Jersey is back at levels we thought we left behind months ago," Murphy said. "The numbers are going up and in the wrong direction."
There were 2,075 new cases of the coronavirus, putting the state total at 256,653 since the start of the pandemic in March. It is the sixth straight day that new cases exceeded 2,000; since Murphy's news conference Thursday, there have been 9,524 new cases, an average of 2,381 per day.
The positivity rate was 7.54 percent, Murphy said, among the state's highest numbers in months.
Murphy said New Jersey also has 1,537 patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus, with 1,313 known positives and 224 awaiting confirmation, Murphy said. There are 309 people in intensive care, and of those, 97 were on ventilators, Murphy said. The number of ICU patients was the highest since June 17.
"The good news is we're more prepared, we know a lot more," Murphy said, noting ventilator use is lower. But people are still dying: 11 new confirmed deaths were announced Monday, bringing total deaths in the state to 14,640.
Murphy said the details on the restrictions for bars and restaurants include no more service while sitting at the bar, because state officials have seen an increased issue of outbreaks associated with bartenders.
Food and alcohol will not be permitted to be served inside establishments after 10 p.m., but restaurants can continue outdoor service past 10 p.m., Murphy said. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Impose New NJ Restrictions As COVID-19 Cases Spike
The ban on food and drink service after 10 p.m. applies to casinos as well. They will be permitted to keep gaming open all hours, but no food or drink can be served after 10 p.m., he said.
"People started to let their hair down at clubs, lounges and restaurants, particularly restaurants with bars," Murphy said. "People are getting sloppy in and around bars as the night wears on."
With the ban on bar seating, restaurants will be permitted to move tables closer than 6 feet as long as they install barriers between them, Murphy said. Outdoors, restaurants will be allowed to create fully enclosed dining bubbles, limited to one group of diners each, because of the coming cold weather.
This article originally appeared on the Manasquan-Belmar Patch