New cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania have been traced to people attending house parties at the Jersey Shore, officials said. The Bucks County Health Department in suburban Philadelphia has reported 33 new coronavirus cases, including 11 that can be traced back to one New Jersey resident “who attended multiple house gatherings at the shore during the past two weeks.” David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department, wrote in a press release: “This is exactly why we can’t let our guard down now, even if it feels ‘safe’ to be at the beach. One unlucky exposure can lead to a large cascade of cases down the line. We want everyone to enjoy the warmer weather and have fun, but let’s keep in mind that COVID is still circulating in the community at baseline levels.” There have been 5,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Bucks County. As of Sunday, there were 164,164 confirmed cases in New Jersey and 12,176 residents had died in the outbreak.
