Number of COVID-19 cases linked to East Lansing bar grows to 25

EAST LANSING, Mich. - A local outbreak of COVID-19 tied to an East Lansing bar continues growing, with health officials adding three more cases on Wednesday.

At least 25 people who visited Harper's Restaurant & Bar Pub in June have tested positive for the virus. Ingham County Health officials are urging anyone who visited the popular Michigan State University bar between June 12-20 to self-quarantine.

Health officer Linda Vail said it's likely more people who were at the bar are now carrying the virus, despite not being identified yet.

“Given the number of cases in this outbreak, we consider this a higher risk exposure than a typical visit to a restaurant or bar,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail. “There are likely more people infected with COVID-19 not yet identified. We need help from people who went to Harper’s during the exposure dates so that we can contain the outbreak. We need everyone exposed to stay home.”

Despite Michigan's success at stunting the spread of the coronavirus, averaging a few hundred new cases a day in recent weeks, experts contend it could still spread if people ignore social distancing rules. 

Harper's reopened indoor service June 8 after restrictions on dine-in restaurants were lifted this month. After COVID-19 cases linked to the location were confirmed, the eatery closed in order to implement safety protocols and modify its air conditioning system to slow exposure. When the bar reopened, long lines were reported where patrons were seen ignoring social distancing rules and not wearing masks. 

Individuals who tested positive were between the ages of 18-23. None of them have been hospitalized, but most were experiencing mild symptoms. Vail recommended that even those who were at the bar during the allotted time that tested negative should self-quarantine anyways due to a potential false negative test result. 

RELATED: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says recent COVID-19 spikes have delayed moving state to phase 5

The East Lansing outbreak was among one of the reasons Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would delay shifting the state into phase 5 of its reopening plan. 

Talking to FOX 2's Tim Skubick on Tuesday, Whitmer said she had hoped to reopen the state a week before July 4, but local community spread meant "we're not going to do it this week."

"Right now, the numbers in most parts of the state have continued to look strong. There are a few blips that we are keeping our eye very close on. My hope was to move the rest of the state into phase 5 by the 4th of July - my hope was to do it this week," she said. "We're not in a position to do that yet, we've got to get more data."