Sonoma County officials advise cancellation of large indoor events during coronavirus pandemic

To safeguard against the spread of the coronavirus, Sonoma County’s public health officer on Wednesday advised the cancellation or postponement of large indoor gatherings, specifically targeting people age 60 and older and those with chronic medical conditions.

The recommendation marks the most significant public move to date in the county’s fight against the growing viral pandemic. It was the first official action put forward by interim Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase, who was appointed Tuesday by county supervisors.

Although the advisory is nonbinding - authorities said Mase has the power to make it mandatory - the escalation in the county’s response has put numerous events in jeopardy.

It would appear to impact everything from church services to extracurricular school activities, social events at assisted living facilities and key community fundraisers. Event organizers across the region were scrambling Wednesday to respond.

“During a public health emergency, our No. 1 priority is to keep the public safe,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Gorin said in a written statement. “Since attendees at large indoor events are often in close proximity to others, they are at a higher risk of getting ill. We can’t risk the spread of the coronavirus in our community, so we are asking event organizers to cancel or postpone their indoor events until a later date.”

The news followed mandatory orders made elsewhere across the state and nation limiting large public events. It came Wednesday evening before a series of bombshell announcements, including President Trump’s decision to halt all travel from Europe to the U.S. for 30 days and the NBA’s indefinite suspension of basketball games.

Earlier in the day, Sonoma State University canceled classes through March 23, a period that includes spring break next week. Santa Rosa Junior College officials were set to meet Thursday to discuss any similar steps on their campuses.

More than 1,200 people in the U.S. have been infected with the novel coronavirus, with three confirmed cases in Sonoma County. All three of those cases are linked to cruise ships, and the patients remain in isolation at Santa Rosa hospitals, according to the county.

Mase said through a spokesman that there is still no evidence of community spread locally, and Jennifer Larocque, a county spokeswoman, pointed to language in the county’s news release that the events advisory came “out of an abundance of caution.”

Larocque said the guidance from Mase was not tied to any new information regarding the new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.

Mase’s guidance will be in effect for at least two weeks, through March 25, after which county officials will reevaluate. It applies to indoor gatherings of 50 or more people, and is said to apply to people 60 or older and those with chronic medical conditions who “are at higher risk for severe illness than the general public.”

Organizers for the annual Elsie Allen High School Foundation Fiesta fundraiser, a major annual event for the 1,000-student campus in southwest Santa Rosa, say they plan to meet Friday to discuss next steps.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Herman G. Hernandez, the nonprofit foundation’s interim executive director. “We raise over $200,000 each year, and it all goes to scholarships, so for us it’s a little concerning.”

The popular fundraiser for Chop’s Teen Club in Santa Rosa is also at risk. The fourth annual Who’s Got the Chop’s Lip Sync Battle, at which teams hold a “no-holds-barred” lip syncing competition with choreographed performances, is tentatively set for Saturday at the Luther Burbank Center, with an expected audience of more than 400 people.

Organizers say they are leaning toward postponement.

“We are really on the cusp,” said Lorez Bailey, executive director of Chop’s and a citizen member of The Press Democrat’s Editorial Board.

Teams have been raising money for three months for Saturday’s event at the LBC, and event organizers hope to reach the $120,000 mark in fundraising.

“Some organizations can be a little bit lighter about canceling events,” Bailey said. “For us, this can directly affect the services that we’re able to provide over the next year.”

Pastor Dale Flowers of First Presbyterian Church in Santa Rosa said a Thursday meeting has been called of the church’s board of elders to decide how the church will proceed amid the outbreak. Attendance at last Sunday’s service suffered a 10% drop from normal, Flowers said via email.

The Oakmont Village senior community in eastern Santa Rosa has already mobilized a response, canceling until further notice its Sunday Symposiums speaker series, as well as community movie screenings, Gorin said Wednesday evening.

“I think people are - they’re willing to cancel the meetings for the next month, but how long should we anticipate canceled meetings and canceled trips? And that’s the question that no one really has an answer to,” Gorin said.

Women in Conversation, the March 25 event featuring Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern, was still scheduled as planned at the Luther Burbank Center. Organizers are monitoring any news about community spread of coronavirus that would potentially change plans, said Karleen Arnink-Pate, chief revenue officer for Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat, sponsor of the series.

Company representatives have been in touch with Dern’s representatives, who have requested updates about the situation as more information becomes available, Arnink-Pate said.

“We are all of course very concerned about the health and safety of our attendees. Laura is as well,” Arnink-Pate said, adding, “We’re just basically saying, ‘Let’s wait and see.’?”

The Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have canceled their bingo game for March, which was scheduled for Saturday, and may do so in future months depending on how the coronavirus situation develops, said Sister Sorenda ’da Booty, who also goes by Melissa Black. She said the decision was spurred by the World Health Organization’s declaration of a viral pandemic and the county’s advisory about large events.

“It’s going to take somebody to say something that we can have big events again,” she said.

The Green Music Center said before Wednesday’s announcement that it remained open with performances planned to go ahead at the Sonoma State University venue. But the Sonoma Invitational Festival, a three-day event beginning Wednesday with high school musicians from across the state, was canceled. Green Music Center Executive Director Jacob Yarrow said the schools chose not to come. Venue officials were set to discuss the county’s recommendations Thursday.

The city is going to postpone the City Council’s annual goal-setting meetings until April. A St. Patrick’s Day lunch for seniors set for this Friday has been canceled. And a senior expo set for April 4 has been postponed until July.

County officials say outreach to potentially impacted agencies and entities is ongoing.

“The Department of Health Services is working closely with our partners at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health to ensure we are providing the most up-to-date information and advice,” Mase said in a written statement. “County staff are also working with cities, schools and other organizations to educate residents in the simple, effective actions they can (take) to keep them healthy and prevent the spread of the virus.”

You can reach Staff Writer Tyler Silvy at 707-526-8667 or at tyler.silvy@pressdemocrat.com, and Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com.