Hundreds attend July 4th lake party near Cassopolis

Hundreds of people spent the holiday in swimsuits but no masks at a lake in southwestern Michigan, a turnout that disappointed authorities who warn that the coronavirus remains a threat.

The virus “doesn’t discriminate,” said Danielle Persky of the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department. “The goal right now is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and when we’re not doing things like social distancing 6 feet apart or wearing masks, we run the risk of spreading it further.”

The party of young adults occurred Saturday at Diamond Lake, near Cassopolis in Cass County.

The sheriff’s office said it couldn’t stop the gathering, although officers were at the lake to ticket people for certain offenses.

“In attempts to work with the event’s organizers, we have found them to be confrontational and not willing to work towards a controlled event,” the sheriff’s office told WOOD-TV.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said it was “incredibly disappointing” to see so many people ignoring safe distance guidelines.

The state health department, meanwhile, reported nearly 300 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and three more deaths Monday.(AP)