Health officials in Middletown, New Jersey are tracking a group of coronaviruses stemming from a teen party, but are being rejected by parents, according to reports.
Authorities said 20 people ages 15-19 are believed to have been exposed to the global pandemic at a house party on West Front Street in the city on July 11, ABC News reported Thursday.
But health department researchers say they face resistance from the teens’ parents.
“We are asking and pleading with parents and students who may have attended that,” Middletown Mayor Tony Perry told the station. “You have no problem, but we want to break the back of this infection.”
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy holds a press conference on COVID-19 cases at the War Memorial in Trenton, NJ on Saturday, April 11, 2020.
(AP)
“And if we can get that contact information and get some details, then we can contact those who may have been exposed to the coronavirus,” said Perry.
Gov. Phil Murphy said he was concerned that difficulty locating teens could become a bigger problem in the state.
“I’m not crazy about 15-year-olds, or whatever, drinking alcohol on the one hand,” he told WCBS Radio. Please don’t break the law. Period. But on the other hand, this is not a witch hunt.
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Middletown Health Department officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Earlier this month, Rockland County officials decided to play tough when faced with a similar dilemma: issuing citations and threatening $ 2,000 fines after parents shut down health officials after a party in mid-2015. June that infected about 100 people.
The move worked, and parents began cooperating with investigators.
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This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
