Dr. Siegel 'deeply disturbed' by images of partiers at Lake of the Ozarks
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel supports calls for Missouri Memorial Day weekend partiers to self-quarantine after not social distancing.
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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel said Tuesday he was "deeply disturbed" to see partiers in Missouri and other places seemingly flouting coronavirus social distancing guidelines over the Memorial Day weekend.
"The states I mentioned (Missouri, Texas and Florida) have flattened the curve but if you see this kind of cavorting going on, you know, there's a lot of asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 and we don't know exactly how it spreads, but close contact will definitely spread it," Siegel said on "America's Newsroom," emphasizing that keeping a safe distance from people is even more important than wearing a mask when it comes to avoiding the virus.
"I don't think the mask does nearly as much as the social distancing does."
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The scenes of packed bars and pools in Missouri's Osage Beach of the Lake of the Ozarks prompted the St. Louis county executive to issue a new coronavirus travel advisory. The advisory urges those who went to Lake of the Ozarks and flouted state officials' social distancing measures to self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result for COVID-19.
“This reckless behavior endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” County Executive Sam Page said Monday. “I encourage everyone to follow the Department of Public Health advisory to determine a safe path forward in the workplace.”
Lake of the Ozarks is a popular getaway for people who live in St. Louis. The spot also attracts visitors from nearby states.
Siegel backed the idea of partygoers going into self-quarantine, emphasizing that a cough or sneeze can travel several feet, creating a dangerous environment for germs to spread at the packed pool and bar.
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"We are going to end up having a problem as we reopen if people are congregating like this. I'm deeply disturbed about this. Missouri officials are saying maybe these people should go into quarantine after this kind of behavior and I'm not against that. We have to do something," he urged.
Fox News' Robert Gearty contributed to this report.
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