Noche MC tests positive for coronavirus after Sonoma Valley event

Even as revelers were enjoying the spectacle of the last week’s La Luz Center fundraiser Noche in the Summer of Love on Aug. 7, the coronavirus was in attendance as well, perhaps making its way among the tightly-packed tables of eight who pledged $600,000 for the nonprofit’s service programs.

One of the primary organizers of the event told friends he tested positive in a home test on Monday – two days after Noche – results that were confirmed in a local hospital. Marcelo Defreitas, a former Alcalde for the City of Sonoma and past president of the La Luz board of directors, is currently with Gregangelo’s Velocity Arts and Entertainment, which organized the Noche event for La Luz this year.

Defreitas, who was fully vaccinated along with his event staff, is currently quarantining at his home in the Sonoma Valley. He told the Index-Tribune, “I had no symptoms before the event, I have no symptoms now – the only reason I know I’m positive is that we at Velocity we have a policy that after an event we all take a test.”

The La Luz event came two days after the long-awaited City Party, an open-air event at Sonoma’s Plaza on Aug. 5, with live music and dancing, food trucks and alcoholic beverage vendors. As of yet, there have been no reported coronavirus transmission as a result of that event, though health officials say symptoms may not appear for a week or more following exposure.

La Luz responds

Once Defreitas was notified of the positive results of his test at Sonoma Valley Hospital, at mid-afternoon on Wednesday, he quickly contacted Nicholas Mendelson-Ontiveros, board president of La Luz, to alert attendees to their potential risk.

Mendelson did so, in an “urgent” Aug. 11 evening message to Noche attendees and other La Luz supporters.

“We want to do everything we can to keep you safe and healthy,” stated Mendelson in his message. “We are asking those of you who were present at this outdoor event to take every precaution to prevent the spread of the virus. That includes being tested for COVID-19, quarantining if necessary, and notifying any family, friends or workplaces.”

Mendelson added that since many of La Luz’s staff attended the event, they were all offered COVID tests on Aug. 12. (La Luz holds regularly scheduled vaccinations at La Luz, every Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m.)

COVID testing for everyone is available in the Sonoma Valley over the next several weeks (see sidebar).

Defreitas said that following Mendelson’s message to attendees, La Luz received 40-50 responses saying they had been tested and there were no further positives. Though all La Luz and Velocity staffers have been tested following the event, none have been positive.

The gregarious and popular Defreitas said he had no idea where he may have contacted the virus, but took extra precautions at the Aug. 7 event to assure public safety. “We made a policy before the event that this one was very different. I had a policy that if I hugged one person or kissed on person I would put 300 people at risk.

“This is the first year there were no hugs,” said Defreitas – at least between Defreitas and others, though photos from the event show there was a certain amount of joyous reunion among the other attendees.

Fallout

The news shook the Sonoma nonprofit community, coming in at almost the same hour as an Aug. 11 notice from Transcendence Theatre Company that a staffer had tested positive.

Colleen Till, interim company manager of the Transcendence Theatre Company, this week sent a message to the company’s housing sponsors, who provide seasonal lodging for company members, saying, “We wanted to inform you that a member of our Seasonal Team has tested Asymptomatic Positive for COVID.” Emphasizing she was communicating the news out of “an abundance of caution,” Till said the entire staff including performers were to be tested on Aug. 12 and again on Aug. 17, “as our primary goal remains the health and wellness of our staff, artists, volunteers, donors, patrons and this community.”

Performances of the company’s current show “Road Trip” are still planned for this weekend.

Community Services and Environment Commissioner Kimberly Blattner cited the La Luz case in her denial of the Mexican Independence Day event scheduled for Sept. 19. She has long supported Noche, and with her husband Simon, stood on stage with Defreitas at the Aug. 7 event to match every $100 donation.

Wednesday evening, in their regular monthly meeting, the CSEC considered three separate applications for permitted events at the Plaza – a Dia de los Muertos celebration on Oct. 24, an Oktoberfest event on Oct. 2, and the Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 19. While the first two were approved, the Sept. 18 event was denied on a split vote, which by commission rules a tie is a non-approval.

In discussing the Dia de los Muertos event, the city’s Special Events Coordinator Lisa Janson said that La Luz had “the luxury of a registration that they could reach out and let everyone know. For these larger community events, there just isn’t that ability.”

Though the commission voted 2-2 to accept the application, commissioner Richard Weiss abstained, leading to the logjam.

Following the commission’s denial of approval for the Mexican Independence Day event, City Councilmember Kelso Barnett asked the council to review the decision at its next meeting, set for Monday, Aug. 16.

“The City Council is the proper venue to make COVID-19 related policy decisions,” Barnett said in an email to the Index-Tribune. “Why, for example, would we cancel Mexican Independence Day, but continue to allow our weekly farmers markets? We must apply the council policy consistently.”

Barnett further explained that, as a council member, he can file an appeal for free, while the community group behind Mexican Independence Day would have to pay a $500 fee to have the decision reconsidered. Time was also of the essence, if the event is not approved soon it would effectively cancel the cultural event.

“I think (appealing) it was the right thing to do considering the circumstances,” he said.