107 COVID-19 cases now linked to Harper's in East Lansing
The number of COVID-19 cases linked to an East Lansing bar and eatery has climbed to 107, Ingham County officials announced Monday.
That figure was a jump from 85 reported Saturday. Officials announced the first infections Wednesday, when 22 coronavirus cases were confirmed.
The case count includes 95 involving visitors during the exposure period and 12 who had contact with those people but did not go to the business, the county said in a statement.
Most were Ingham residents, while others live in Clinton, Oakland, Wayne, St. Clair, Macomb, Eaton, Shiawassee, Livingston, Kalamazoo, Ottawa, Berrien and Calhoun counties, according to the release.
"All of the people with cases linked to Harper’s are between the ages of 16 and 28 with a median age of 21," county officials said. "None have been hospitalized. Most have mild symptoms with 28 people being asymptomatic. At least 40 percent are Michigan State University (MSU) students or recent graduates."
People who visited Harper’s from June 12-20 are considered exposed and have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days since their visit.
Anyone who was at Harper’s during that time also is urged to seek testing. A free public testing event is scheduled 12-4 p.m. Tuesday on the MSU campus at 846 Service Road, East Lansing. No appointment is necessary.
A list of other coronavirus testing sites are available on the state's website: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirustest.
For information, Ingham County residents can call the health department COVID-19 response line at (517) 887-4517 or go to hd.ingham.org/coronavirus.
As the number of cases linked to Harper's climbs, Ingham County has issued an emergency order reducing restaurant capacity to 50% or no more than 75 people, whichever is less.
The county’s emergency order directly affects large licensed food service establishments with capacities of more than 150. No food service establishment can have more than 75 patrons at one time, representatives said Monday.
“Large crowds are difficult to control,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail. “By allowing no more than 75 people, restaurants and bars will be better able to enforce social distancing and the use of masks and face coverings. I strongly encourage all bars and restaurants to strictly enforce safety measures and to do all they can to help stop the spread of coronavirus in our community.”
Harper's announced on Facebook June 22 it was closing to "implement a program to eliminate lines, and to modify our HVAC system to install an air purifying technology while the air is being conditioned and re-circulated. When we have finished implementing these two strategies, we will have the most state-of-the-art neighborhood venue for you to visit safely."