ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — What everyone in St. Louis County seems to be talking about is the last thing Sam Page thinks is worth discussing right now: the family of the 20-year-old woman who tested positive for coronavirus.
Did they or did they not break quarantine?
We've heard from the family's attorney that they were never told to stay home, and that's why the patient's family left the house, and her dad took her sister to a school dance.
Sam Page stands by the county's response and says the family was told to stay home.
We've also heard the family is now getting threats for allegedly breaking quarantine.
Page said forgiveness is needed for the family and the county will review what it did, too.
“I think it's time for some forgiveness,” Page said. “Perhaps the lapse in judgment has happened, but it's past and this family is acting in a way that's consistent with their instructions from the public health department and we need to move forward.”
In the meantime, he said the county is learning from what's happening on both coasts and has self-quarantine instructions for anyone who has traveled to a coronavirus hotspot as defined by the CDC.
“Well, I think at this point we are well ahead of the coast and the rest of the world in preparation. We believe at this point the cases of coronavirus in our community are travel-related,” Page said. “If you've been around someone who has traveled and has symptoms, then they should be considered to be positive until proven otherwise until the quarantine is over.”
So far, the county executive said 16 people in the county have been monitored for COVID-19. As of right now, only one person has tested positive, the young woman in St. Louis County. On Tuesday, the CDC confirmed her positive result.
Page said all the cases have a connection to someone traveling. He said there has been no person-to-person or community spread so far in the St. Louis area.
As for the family of the coronavirus patient and any threats they are getting, the county executive said police are patrolling their neighborhood and he is confident they have followed the written quarantine order from Sunday.
You can watch the full interview below:
