Love Modesto postponed, events banned and two Downey students exposed to coronavirus
A bunch of community events and gatherings, including Love Modesto and the Modesto Marathon, were being postponed even before a Stanislaus County public health order Thursday that prohibits large events at least until the end of March.
Effective Monday, the county banned indoor or outdoor events with 1,000 or more people through March 31. The local action followed a new executive order from Gov. Gavin Newson designed to combat outbreaks of coronavirus illness in the state of almost 40 million people.
To slow the transmission of COVID-19, the state health department recommends that gatherings of 250 people or more should be postponed or canceled. The new recommendation includes concerts, conferences and sporting events at the professional, college and high school level.
Thursday’s county order and guidance does not apply to regular school classes, shopping centers or malls, worksites, public transportation or homeless encampments.
In another development, a county health investigation focuses on two Downey High School students who were exposed to the coronavirus. The two students, who live in the same household, were in contact with a family member who tested positive for COVID-19 this week, Modesto City Schools said in a post Thursday.
Testing has yet to confirm if the two students are infected with the virus. Downey High School and all other school sites in Modesto City Schools remain open until further notice, the school district said.
County Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes said the county order could be extended into April or later after the infectious disease risk is reassessed near the end of the month.
The action is similar to orders to limit the spread of coronavirus in a couple of other counties, Hayes said. He noted that gatherings of 1,000 people or more are not very common locally but could include high school commencements and events at the Gallo Center for the Arts.
“It is really important to recognize that all these measures are taken to avoid a large spike in the spread of illness,” Hayes said. “We are early in this public health event and we expect this will go on for some time.”
Jeff Pishney, director of the annual Love Modesto community projects, announced Thursday the April 25 event is postponed and reset for Oct. 3. He said the group had already been talking about postponing the event that draws more than 5,000 people to the downtown. The decision grew out of concern for safety and efforts to keep people well.
“People are afraid right now,” Pishney said. “We want the best for our city and we don’t want to see this virus spread in the community. We don’t want to be the one responsible (for new cases) when we have 5,000 people coming together downtown.”
Pishney said he’s not sure if moving the event to Oct. 3 will dampen people’s enthusiasm for Love Modesto. “We have so many projects on board and so many sponsors. We have not done this before but we have a lot of time to prepare for it,” he said.
Officials with Modesto City Schools held a discussion Thursday afternoon on which district events could be put on hold or canceled based on the county and state guidance. No decisions were announced Thursday.
The possibility of closing a school site arose Thursday after the school district learned about the two Downey students who were exposed to coranavirus.
The school district’s post provided no information on whether the two students had recently attended school. Modesto’s largest school district has said it consults with county public health officials on protecting students and staff from the infectious illness.
The school district cited public health advice that any student or staff member who is sick should stay home until free of symptoms for 72 hours. The district is also sanitizing and disinfecting school campuses daily, the post said.
On Wednesday, county public health reported that two adult county residents had tested positive for COVID-19. One had returned from the Princess Cruise to Mexico that was the source of numerous infections and the other had no known contact with a person infected with the virus.
Hayes said that San Francisco-to-Mexico cruise, plus a connection to the Grand Princess Cruise to Hawaii and back, brought the coronavirus pandemic to the county. “My understanding is that over 200 people from the Central Valley were on the two cruises,” Hayes said. “I don’t exactly know how many were from Stanislaus County, but those cruises have had an impact on what has occurred in our region.”
County officials have not talked openly about a county employee who returned from the Mexico cruise last month. Two county workers said the woman worked for four days in the Community Services Agency building on Hackett Road and then became ill. Testing was not immediately available but the woman was tested and the results are not known, said a county employee who asked not to be identified.
An estimated 1,100 county employees regularly work in the community services agency building on Hackett.
Hayes confirmed more than one county employee was on the cruise ship. County health officials looked into the possible workplace exposure and concluded other employees were not exposed to infection, Hayes said, though employees dispute that conclusion. The CEO would not disclose for which department the employee worked or discuss any test results.
The Princess cruises became a focal point of coronavirus outbreaks in California after a 71-year-old Placer County man, a passenger on the Mexico cruise, was confirmed as the first coronavirus death in the state. Almost 100 residents of California, including a couple from Modesto, who were on the Grand Princess cruise to Hawaii, are in quarantine at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield.
Hayes said one reason for the recent, widespread cancellation of events, from professional sports to church services, is that large outbreaks of coronavirus could overwhelm health care services and infrastructure and cripple the ability to deliver any kind of care.
Some faith organizations contacted by the Modesto Bee said they were complying with the public health guidance by streaming services online and taking precautions.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 4:44 AM.
