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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- New cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus had been slowing to a handful in Belmont County over the past two weeks, but the health department is reporting more than a dozen new infected people, with more expected.
Belmont County Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul said the total number has climbed from 503 on Friday to 522 by Monday.
Sproul said the majority of these new cases over the weekend can be traced back to a senior trip by numerous students to South Carolina.
"Basically a group of kids that traveled to Myrtle Beach about a week ago. What we're hearing is about 91 of them. About approximately 45 of that 91 are Belmont County residents, and so far we have 14 test positive for COVID," Sproul said.
"We're basically contact-tracing those 14 right now. We're waiting on calls back from a couple of them to have a better idea exactly what our number is.
"We know as soon as the first few started to test positive they were reaching out to their friends that went on the trip and told them to get tested too. That's why we're hearing another batch of testing happened, and we're waiting on results from those. We're not sure how big this is going to get."
During the period when cases were decreasing, Sproul has frequently expressed concern that vacation destinations such as Florida and the Carolinas where restrictions were loosened have been reporting increases in COVID infections. He has cautioned the public not to relax their safety measures such as social distancing.
Sproul said new positive cases have been widespread in the county.
"We've got a few from quite a few school districts in the county. I know Bellaire and Shadyside both have suspended sports activities the next couple of weeks. It affected more than just a couple of schools in our area," he said.
News began to break just as Ohio has further loosened restrictions on activities, permitting contact sports.
"We were starting to see a drop in our numbers in our area. People are getting complacent," he said. "The weather's nice and they want to get out. They're not following the precautions and we're seeing the results of that. If people continue to travel and not use precautions when they're traveling, they're going to bring it back to the Valley again."
Sproul said while many of the public may be becoming complacent, the majority of Belmont County's reopened businesses have been taking precautions.
According to Jennifer Elias, manager at Uniglobe Ohio Valley Travel in Wheeling, travel agents are at work answering the question of what vacation spot to pick.
"We're seeing people who want to travel more. They want to get out, but they do want to stay closer to home. We're having a lot of people who want to do a beach. We are watching the news daily and we try to keep up with the industry leaders of travel to see what they recommend," she said.
She said preferred options include beaches and all-inclusive destinations where sites and services can be found in one resort. She said they have begun seeing a shift to more solitary locations such as other beaches, national parks or cities closer to home.
"It's a changing world. On a daily basis there's one place that looks good, and the next day they have a surge of COVID cases," she said. "It's an ever-changing list."
She said they consult sources including state departments of health and tourism and health boards of the proposed locations, along with information from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
One challenge is that if more people from more areas concentrate on a destination, the chances for coronavirus infection increase.
"We're recommending to our clients common sense and safety when traveling. Wear a mask if you can't social distance," she said, adding this includes when using planes, airports and rest stops. "Use a travel agent when traveling, just because we do kind of have that inside scoop."
"Camping has become really popular," Belmont County Tourism Director Barb Ballint said. "People are feeling a little more safe when camping and being outdoors. They have that freedom to roam."
She said the tourism council is advising people to continue precautions. Many are choosing to avoid local eateries and restrooms and to pack their own meals.