Missouri hairdresser potentially exposed 91 people to coronavirus after coming to work for eight days with symptoms
- Great Clips Springfield stylist worked during illness May 12-20
- Health officials say stylist potentially exposed 84 clients and 7 colleagues
- Stylist and clients wore masks, but are now asked to quarantine
- Officials say stylist recently visited high-intensity area of state
- How to Help People Affected by Covid-19
A Missouri hairstylist potentially exposed 91 people to the coronavirus after attending sick and symptomatic work for eight days, health officials said.
The unidentified stylist worked in teams at the Springfield Great Clips from May 8 to 12 after traveling to another part of Missouri with higher case intensity.
While the stylist and clients wore masks and the company kept detailed records allowing contact tracers to identify clients, health officials expressed frustration with the situation.
“This scenario is entirely within the reach of our staff to contact trace and contain. But I’ll be honest with you, we can’t get much more, ”said Clay Goddard, director of the health department in Springfield-Greene County. “We cannot make it a regular habit, or our capacity as a community will be strained.”
Clay Goddard, director of the Springfield-Greene County health department, announced potential exposures on Friday
Hairdressers and barbershops were allowed to reopen in Missouri on May 4.
Officials say the hairdresser had 84 clients in the eight days and potentially exposed seven other colleagues.
“The 84 potentially directly exposed clients will be informed by the Department of Health and will be offered tests, as will seven colleagues,” said the Springfield-Greene County health department in a statement.
“It is the department’s hope that, because the face covers were worn throughout this exposure period, no additional cases will occur.
The department said the stylist had also visited a fitness center, Dairy Queen and Walmart, while being potentially contagious.
A stylist from this Great Clips in Springfield worked eight days while sick and symptomatic
It is not known exactly when the stylist was infected, but the person had just returned from a trip elsewhere in Missouri with a high concentration of cases.
Goddard said he was satisfied with the deep cleaning measures taken by Great Clips, adding that he now considers the business to be safe.
Greene County, where Springfield is located, has had a low incidence of COVID-19, with 121 confirmed cases and seven deaths.
This equates to one confirmed case for 2,422 residents, compared to a hotspot like New York City, where the number is 1 in 42.
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