Post by the Scribe on May 24, 2020 11:57:57 GMT
Hairstylist with coronavirus works for 8 days, exposing up to 91 people
Sophie Lewis
CBS NewsMay 23, 2020, 3:32 PM UTC
Hairstylist with coronavirus works for 8 days, exposing up to 91 people
A hairstylist in Missouri saw dozens of clients this month while sick with coronavirus. Despite showing symptoms, the stylist went to work for over a week in May, exposing as many as 91 people to COVID-19.
According to the Springfield-Green County Health Department, the stylist went to work at a Great Clips location in Springfield while showing coronavirus symptoms from May 12 to May 20. Officials said both the stylist, whose name has not been released, and their clients were wearing face coverings during the appointments.
84 clients and 7 coworkers were potentially directly exposed to the virus, officials said. All of the individuals exposed are being notified and offered testing, and the Great Clips location is temporarily closed.
"We hope that this is an overly cautious approach," Director of Public Health Clay Goddard said during a news conference.
Officials did not disclose when the hairstylist tested positive, but said they believe the individual contracted the virus while traveling. Barbershops and salons were allowed to operate in Missouri at the time.
Goddard praised the hair salon for following proper safety and hygiene precautions, in addition to keeping detailed records of clients and employees. He emphasized that he believes it is now safe to go to the salon to seek services.
"It is the hope of the department that because face coverings were worn throughout this exposure timeline, no additional cases will result," the health department said.
However, Goddard said he wished individuals were as diligent as businesses have been. In addition to going to work, he said the stylist also went to his or her local Dairy Queen, Walmart and fitness center.
"I'll be honest, I'm very frustrated to be up here today, and maybe even more so, I'm disappointed," he said. "I wish the same level of personal responsibility had been exercised in this case."
A detailed timeline of the places visited by the stylist can be found on the health department's website.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson lifted many of the state's restrictions and its stay-at-home order on May 4. And as many businesses around the U.S. reopen following weeks or months of lockdown, the threats of community spread remain as high as ever.
"We can't have many more of these. We can't make this a regular habit or our capability as a community will be strained and we will have to reevaluate what things look like going forward," Goddard empasized. "Each of us has to be thinking of the good of ourselves, our family and our community. We don't want to move backward."
Sophie Lewis
CBS NewsMay 23, 2020, 3:32 PM UTC
Hairstylist with coronavirus works for 8 days, exposing up to 91 people
A hairstylist in Missouri saw dozens of clients this month while sick with coronavirus. Despite showing symptoms, the stylist went to work for over a week in May, exposing as many as 91 people to COVID-19.
According to the Springfield-Green County Health Department, the stylist went to work at a Great Clips location in Springfield while showing coronavirus symptoms from May 12 to May 20. Officials said both the stylist, whose name has not been released, and their clients were wearing face coverings during the appointments.
84 clients and 7 coworkers were potentially directly exposed to the virus, officials said. All of the individuals exposed are being notified and offered testing, and the Great Clips location is temporarily closed.
"We hope that this is an overly cautious approach," Director of Public Health Clay Goddard said during a news conference.
Officials did not disclose when the hairstylist tested positive, but said they believe the individual contracted the virus while traveling. Barbershops and salons were allowed to operate in Missouri at the time.
Goddard praised the hair salon for following proper safety and hygiene precautions, in addition to keeping detailed records of clients and employees. He emphasized that he believes it is now safe to go to the salon to seek services.
"It is the hope of the department that because face coverings were worn throughout this exposure timeline, no additional cases will result," the health department said.
However, Goddard said he wished individuals were as diligent as businesses have been. In addition to going to work, he said the stylist also went to his or her local Dairy Queen, Walmart and fitness center.
"I'll be honest, I'm very frustrated to be up here today, and maybe even more so, I'm disappointed," he said. "I wish the same level of personal responsibility had been exercised in this case."
A detailed timeline of the places visited by the stylist can be found on the health department's website.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson lifted many of the state's restrictions and its stay-at-home order on May 4. And as many businesses around the U.S. reopen following weeks or months of lockdown, the threats of community spread remain as high as ever.
"We can't have many more of these. We can't make this a regular habit or our capability as a community will be strained and we will have to reevaluate what things look like going forward," Goddard empasized. "Each of us has to be thinking of the good of ourselves, our family and our community. We don't want to move backward."
Dee_b 8 hours ago
This isn’t going to work if people are still going to work or coming into contact with other people in public while showing symptoms or having the virus outright.
Henry Juhala 9 hours ago
The stylist went to work while showing symptoms. How is that being even remotely responsible. We have got to get people to realize the peril they put other people in when they act that irresponsible. That is why this virus keeps spreading.
The data on Missouri was still rising and yet the Governor still proceeds to open up the state. And this is just one example where the virus spread by people who thought they were doing what was OK because the Governor said it was OK to go to work and open up risky businesses like hair salons and barbershops and gyms, etc.
It is the governors who are going to kill us all by giving license for people like this to act irresponsibly And that perhaps is precisely what Trump wants. He takes no responsibility for any of this. He puts the responsibility on the Governors and they use it as license to be pro-business and ignore the major health warnings about how risky and harmful this virus is.
Would the Governor or the president allow that salon to be open if they knew the stylist could be showing symptoms and their mother or wife or best friend with an already weakened health system had set up an appointment to have their hair done by this stylist? Of course they don't know ahead of time. But, for the sake of everyone, we have to assume that these are the kinds of things that will happen when encourage people to act irresponsibly.
Since there was no emergency order in place, and if the stylist did not go to work because they were showing symptoms, do you think they could get unemployment, or short-term disability or money under the federal aid program. No. Not if they had not tested positive yet. So, the pressure is on the stylist to go to work and risk their life and the life of others just to help put feed on the table. That is the environment we are putting the employees like this in by not acting responsibly as a government.
Kristina 11 hours ago
Read there was a second stylist at the same location tested positive who may have infected over 50 more people. The health department is contacting them in Missouri.
Bufford M9 hours ago
Unfortunately, this is exactly the problem. People will not hesitate to put other people at risk to benefit themselves. I think people wondered why governments had to tell everyone what to do, feeling people could discipline themselves. Perhaps some even can. On the other hand, the more desperate people get, the less they will care. this is, by the way, absolutely nothing new.
This isn’t going to work if people are still going to work or coming into contact with other people in public while showing symptoms or having the virus outright.
Henry Juhala 9 hours ago
The stylist went to work while showing symptoms. How is that being even remotely responsible. We have got to get people to realize the peril they put other people in when they act that irresponsible. That is why this virus keeps spreading.
The data on Missouri was still rising and yet the Governor still proceeds to open up the state. And this is just one example where the virus spread by people who thought they were doing what was OK because the Governor said it was OK to go to work and open up risky businesses like hair salons and barbershops and gyms, etc.
It is the governors who are going to kill us all by giving license for people like this to act irresponsibly And that perhaps is precisely what Trump wants. He takes no responsibility for any of this. He puts the responsibility on the Governors and they use it as license to be pro-business and ignore the major health warnings about how risky and harmful this virus is.
Would the Governor or the president allow that salon to be open if they knew the stylist could be showing symptoms and their mother or wife or best friend with an already weakened health system had set up an appointment to have their hair done by this stylist? Of course they don't know ahead of time. But, for the sake of everyone, we have to assume that these are the kinds of things that will happen when encourage people to act irresponsibly.
Since there was no emergency order in place, and if the stylist did not go to work because they were showing symptoms, do you think they could get unemployment, or short-term disability or money under the federal aid program. No. Not if they had not tested positive yet. So, the pressure is on the stylist to go to work and risk their life and the life of others just to help put feed on the table. That is the environment we are putting the employees like this in by not acting responsibly as a government.
Kristina 11 hours ago
Read there was a second stylist at the same location tested positive who may have infected over 50 more people. The health department is contacting them in Missouri.
Bufford M9 hours ago
Unfortunately, this is exactly the problem. People will not hesitate to put other people at risk to benefit themselves. I think people wondered why governments had to tell everyone what to do, feeling people could discipline themselves. Perhaps some even can. On the other hand, the more desperate people get, the less they will care. this is, by the way, absolutely nothing new.