A Missouri man ignored a request to self-quarantine after his daughter tested positive for coronavirus and took his other daughter to a school dance. The woman, who is in her 20s, started feeling sick after returning from Italy on March 2. She was advised to get tested for COVID-19, and health officials told her and her family they should stay at home to be safe.
The family was informed of the woman's presumptive positive test, but the father decided to take his younger daughter to the school dance anyway. While health officials praised the woman for seeking medical help after returning from Italy, they blasted her father for violating the self-quarantine request.
"The way the family has reacted to this situation is really a tale of two reactions," St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said. "And a study of how people should and should not react to the coronavirus."
The man and his daughter left the dance, which was being held at a Ritz-Carlton, when they learned that positive test had been confirmed. When health officials heard about what the man did, they warned him that if he ignored their request again, they would get a court order to force him and his family into isolation.
"We depend on common sense and goodwill of the people that we communicate with, and when we ask someone to quarantine, and they tell us they will, we have to trust that," Page said.
Officials with Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School said that the school will be closed on Monday (March 9) so the building can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
"We are communicating with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and sharing everything that we know with them. We will work with officials to ensure we are doing everything possible to mitigate risk and to maintain our safe environment," says Alice Dickherber, Director of Communications and Marketing. "We are committed to the health and safety of our community, and we will follow the guidance of public health officials as we plan for the coming days."
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