Rich kids are partying in ultra-wealthy Greenwich, Connecticut, and officials think those get-togethers may be behind a recent spike of COVID-19 cases in the area. While teens celebrating their graduation from any of the community’s number of elite prep schools or spending time with high school friends before heading off to college in the fall would be a normal, relatively harmless summer tradition any other year, those parties may come with unintended health consequences amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Two weeks after a few known parties in the area earlier this month, the affluent community is experiencing what officials are calling a “mini surge” of infections, the New York Times reported. More than 20 teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 21 have reportedly tested positive for the virus since mid-July, and Greenwich health officials are expecting to see more cases as testing continues.
“One kid goes to a party in Greenwich, next thing you know there’s a little bit of an outbreak,” said Fred Camillo, the first selectman of Greenwich’s board of selectmen.
The “mini surge” in Greenwich comes as many areas are seeing a similar rise in cases among young adults, often attributed to risky social gatherings. In New Jersey, officials are blaming a recent increase in cases on parties along the Jersey Shore. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said there’s been an uptick in infections among 20-somethings thanks to young people crowding around bars and filling the streets while sipping takeout drinks, while elsewhere in the country, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the state has seen “a tremendous amount of spread in young people.”
Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, officials in affluent Darien claim cases among young people are on the rise there as well. “It’s summertime,” said Jayme Stevenson, the first selectman of Darien. “It’s beach weather. People are out on boats. They are having parties. And I think they are beginning to let their guard down. It’s critically important that young people understand that they can get the virus and they can spread the virus.”
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