GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Gaston County is concerned after coronavirus cases in the county hit an all-time high.
On Tuesday, county health leaders reported that cases are now 5 to 6 times higher than they were a month and a half ago.
Most of the cases are from Gastonia.
“Is it really worth it if one of your children get sick or if your grandmother gets sick,” he said. “Or if you get sick.”
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Gastonia City Councilman Robert Kellogg is especially concerned.
The area from Gastonia south to the state line has seen 153 new cases in the last two weeks, which is the biggest increase in the county.
"This is real. It's not going anywhere, and we need to deal with it," Kellog said.
Health officials said they have seen an increase of 35 to 40 new cases a day.
Some of that is due to increased testing, but they think people have forgotten how serious COVID is to the public.
Health officials are worried that over the Fourth of July weekend people will go to places like Myrtle Beach where they’ve seen huge crowds with little social distancing and very few masks.
The concern is that too many people go away on vacation and forget about the virus.
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People across the the country have seen spikes in cases originating from people who contracted COVID-19 after a getaway at places like Myrtle Beach.
Resident Hunter Sawyer said he took a trip two weeks ago to Myrtle Beach for a truck competition.
“You didn’t see people trying to be six feet apart,” Sawyer said pointing out a video he shot while he was at the competition. “I guess they just really didn’t care about it.”
He continued, “We saw the crowded beaches and people wandering around without masks and not much of a care about coronavirus.”
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The last major spike in Gaston County came after the Memorial Day holiday.
County officials are reminding people to wear a mask, wash hands keep social distancing while celebrating.
“Encourage people to celebrate at home or in very small groups,” said Joy Smith, public health nursing survivor.
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