A group of Cape Cod coronaviruses emerged after unmasked partygoers spread their germs at a large party in Chatham, city officials said this week.
Several of those infected at the party during the second week of July were restaurant workers, prompting stops at several Chatham restaurants.
“It just highlights the fact that these big parties where people don’t practice social distancing and don’t wear masks can have significant impacts,” Chatham Director of Natural Resources Robert Duncanson said at a Selectmen Board meeting.
“This is something that I think we have all been very concerned about,” he said. “We have seen this happen in other parts of the country. … These kinds of events are really troublesome, and now they are coming home to the Cape. “
The state Department of Public Health has created a group notification for Chatham after there were nine confirmed cases linked to the party.
None of those infected appear to be a Chatham resident, Duncanson said.
Several of the infected people are restaurant workers, so the city alerted restaurants to the outbreak and told them to “be vigilant.”
Chatham’s Kream N ‘Kone restaurant on Facebook posted that they will close until further notice after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
“We will close to thoroughly clean and disinfect the restaurant and all remaining employees will be screened,” wrote Kream N ‘Kone. “When the health department tells us it is safe to reopen, we will.”
The Talkative Pig restaurant will also be temporarily closed after a worker tested positive.
The restaurant wrote on its website: “As a precaution, we are following CDC guidelines and closing to allow our staff to self-quarantine and do another deep disinfection.”
