Long Island COVID-19 Cluster Linked To Sweet 16 Party

A Sweet 16 party is to blame for 37 confirmed COVID-19 cases in what is being referred to as a “super-spreader event.”

The September 25 party took place at a Long Island, New York catering hall and hosted 81 people, ABC News is reporting.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said that as a result of the event, 270 have to quarantine. 

The 49 students and 32 adults exceeded the state’s public gathering maximum of 50 people. Officials said that social distancing and face coverings were not enforced of widely practiced.

After obtaining a copy of the guest list and entering it into the county’s contact tracing system, the 37 positive cases were identified, officials said. 

“There is no precise definition of what a super-spreader event is,” Bellone said. “But in Suffolk County, we have not seen an event like this before at any time throughout this pandemic. For Suffolk County, this was a super-spreader event.”

The venue, Miller Place Inn, was hit with a $10,000 fine as a result of the event, as well as a $2,000 fine for a sanitary code violation. 

“This cluster should serve as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of violating COVID-19 rules and regulations,” he said. “We do not want to see businesses shutting down and schools shutting down.”