Jersey Shore 'beach house gatherings' the culprit behind 11 new coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania as officials warn 'one unlucky exposure can lead to a cascade of cases'

A spike in a dozen new COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania has been traced to 'beach house' gatherings on the Jersey Shore.

In Buck County 33 new coronavirus cases were reported on Saturday, including 11 that can be traced back to a New Jersey resident 'who attended multiple house gatherings at the shore during the past two weeks.'

Another Bucks County resident who got infected from the same New Jersey source was announced Friday.

'This is exactly why we can’t let our guard down now, even if it feels "safe" to be at the beach,' David Damsker, the director of the Bucks County Health Department said. 'One unlucky exposure can lead to a large cascade of cases down the line.'

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In Buck County, Pennsylvania 33 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday, 11 of which were traced back to a New Jersey resident who attended multiple house gatherings at the shore over the past two weeks. Crowds of people pictured gathered on the beach on Memorial Day weekend in Asbury Park in New Jersey

New Jersey beachgoers enjoy Memorial Day without masks

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'This is exactly why we can’t let our guard down now, even if it feels "safe" to be at the beach,' David Damsker, the director of the Bucks County Health Department said.  Overall in Bucks County there are 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19

'There are likely to be additional infections among family members of the new cases,' he added.  

Officials didn’t specify where or when these gatherings took place.

'We want everyone to enjoy the warmer weather and have fun, but let’s keep in mind that COVID is still circulating in the community at baseline levels,' Damsker added.

Overall in Bucks County there are 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 

As of Sunday there were more than 164,164 confirmed cases in New Jersey and over 12,100 residents have died from the virus.

Now officials are warning the public to be wary of the virus lingering at their gatherings and the beach.

'Obviously it’s still out there, and if you have too many people in one place and somebody’s got the virus, it’s still able to be spread,' Damsker said.

He adds people should still wear face coverings when attending small gatherings involving people not from the same household.  

New Jersey is set to enter stage two of its reopening on June 15 when restaurants will be allowed to offer outdoor dining and nonessential retail will be allowed in stores at half capacity.

Overall the number of people on ventilators or under intensive critical care has dropped significantly since peaking mid-April.

Over 80 percent of New Jersey’s coronavirus deaths have been residents 65 and over, officials said.