Lake of the Ozarks partiers inspire a T-shirt shaming their lack of social distancing
The now-infamous Memorial Day parties at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks have been commemorated in T-shirt form thanks to a company in Iowa.
Raygun, a Des Moines-based T-shirt outfit, unveiled the design on Facebook Tuesday.
The blue shirt — also available as a pink tank top — is priced at $23 and reads, “Lake of the Ozarks: an international example of bad judgment,” invoking a quote from St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, as reported by KSDK.
“What we saw this weekend was an international example of bad judgment,” he told the outlet, adding that attending the parties posed “an exponential risk of contracting COVID-19, of transmitting COVID-19 and bringing it back to our community at the exact wrong time.”
The quote was also used in a Washington Post headline about the Memorial Day parties. Raygun included a screenshot of the headline on the shirt’s purchasing page.
The company also referenced the quote on Facebook writing: “Little does the Washington Post know, ‘An International Example of Bad Judgment’ is Lake of the Ozarks’ unofficial slogan...”
Lake of the Ozarks, a popular vacation destination, made news over Memorial Day weekend after videos and photos of crowded pools and other venues began circulating on social media, angering many over an apparent lack of social distancing, The Kansas City Star reported.
St. Louis County ultimately issued a travel advisory for Lake of the Ozarks, urging anyone who visited the area and ignored social distancing rules to self-quarantine for 14 days, The Star reported. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment requested the same of Kansans, according to The Star.
An employer has also taken a stand.
Partygoer Antoine Sydnor said his employer is forcing him to quarantine at home for two weeks without pay after visiting Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend, KSDK reported.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Lake of the Ozarks partiers inspire a T-shirt shaming their lack of social distancing."