New Bucks Co. Coronavirus Cases Linked To Myrtle Beach Travel

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — More than 100 new coronavirus infections were reported in Bucks County over the past four days, with nearly half of them involving people who traveled out of state, health officials said.

Many of the new cases included travelers to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Bucks County health officials said.

“Over the last four days, 50 of our 103 new cases were infected during out-of-state travel, many from Myrtle Beach, S.C.,” said Health Department Director David Damsker. “Think twice before you leave for any area of the country that is currently experiencing a high prevalence of COVID-19."

Fourteen cases that were delayed reports — no longer considered infectious — were also added to the county's total.

Of the 117 total infections over the past four days, 50 resulted from out-of-state contacts, 19 were from household contacts, 14 were attributed to pure community spread, six are residents or workers at long-term care facilities, two are healthcare workers, and 26 were unable to be interviewed immediately.

No coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the Bucks County Health Department from Friday through Monday.

“If you have to go, be smart,” Damsker said regarding out-of-state travel. “Wear a mask, sanitize your hands frequently, and avoid bars and other similar gatherings of people.”

Without the out-of-state infections, Bucks County’s new cases would have averaged about 13 per day over the four-day period, Damsker said.

Gov. Tom Wolf recommended last week that Pennsylvanians who travel to one of 15 states where coronavirus is surging should self-quarantine at home for two weeks upon their return.

Those states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Bucks County now has had 5,576 residents test positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic. A total of 510 county residents have died from the virus, including 408 in long-term care facilities.

A total of 68 Bucks County patients remain hospitalized — nine of them in critical condition and on ventilators — while 3,912 of the local patients have recovered.