Atlantic County is reporting 17 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus.The county now has 173 cases.Four people have died in the county, while 26 are now listed as recovered.The newly confirmed cases consist of seven men ages 31 to 86, and 10 women ages 29 to 82.It was also revealed that Egg Harbor Township tops the list of county cases, after Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson released numbers by municipality for the first time.While the county was accused of not being transparent, Levinson said he made a conscious decision so as not to advertise certain towns low numbers to second homeowners who may use that to try to escape outbreaks where they live.“As homeowners, they obviously have a right to be here, but they have been asked not to come, not now while resources are limited and we continue to fight further spread of the virus,” he said. “It’s understandable they would want to come here knowing the number of cases we have is far less that what they may currently be experiencing."For instance, as of Wednesday Longport has two cases and Brigantine and Margate one each, Levinson noted, adding, "and that’s the way we would prefer to keep it.""Advertising these enviable statistics only encourages more to come to escape the threat of COVID-19," he said. "Something else to consider, they may not just be coming by themselves, but bringing their immediate and extended families to stay in their three- to six-bedroom vacation homes.”
Some elected officials have already begun to share the cases by town they receive from the county through their own social media accounts. While Levinson said he stands by his original decision, he would rather focus energy elsewhere than on facing criticism about release of municipal breakdowns.The 17 new cases are: three each in Egg Harbor, Hamilton and Galloway townships, two each in Atlantic City and Pleasantville and one each in Buena Borough, Buena Vista Township, Northfield and Ventnor.Levinson also urged the public not to be lulled into a false sense of security if the numbers in their town are low. It does not mean they should let down their guard.
TOTAL BREAKDOWN BY MUNICIPALITY
