JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Erika Crisp has been short of breath for several days and has tested positive for COVID-19.
So have more than a dozen of her friends.
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The one thing they all had in common: a night out at Lynch’s Irish Pub on June 6 in Jacksonville Beach, News 6 partner News 4 Jax reports.
Crisp, a 40-year-old health care worker from Jacksonville, said she’s been sick for eight days, and 15 of her friends have also tested positive for COVID-19.
Lynch’s learned some of its customers had tested positive for coronavirus after visiting the pub and the general manager opted to shut down voluntarily over the weekend for a deep cleaning.
Crisp said she and her friends had been careful with social distancing and had stayed indoors for months “doing everything the right way.”
“And then the first night we go out, Murphy’s Law, I guess,” Crisp said. “The only thing we have in common is that one night at that one bar.”
Crisp said she regrets going out to celebrate after months of quarantining.
“I think we were careless and we went out into a public place when we should not have. And we were not wearing masks. I think we had a whole 'Out of sight, out of mind' mentality. The state opens back up and said everybody was fine, so we took advantage of that,” Crisp said.
She said it's a lesson for everyone.
“We should be wearing masks. We should be social distancing,” Crisp said. “It was too soon to open everything back up.”
Lynch’s general manager said the pub reopened at 11 a.m. Tuesday.