Planning for summer activities develops with COVID-19 guidelines
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CSKT Tribal Health roamed the reservation last week, offering COVID-19 vaccines at various homesites and in Elmo, Dixon, Ravalli and Hot Springs via its Health Outreach Van. With 10,355 Lake County residents fully vaccinated as of Friday, April 23, the county's current vaccination rate per total population is 43%.
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After considerable discussion last Tuesday among members of the Lake County Board of Public Health and its advisory group, a resolution was approved that offers guidance to organizers of the Mission Valley’s myriad summer events.
Among the local events mentioned were the summer car show and Art in the Park in Polson (both outdoors), the Flathead River Rodeo, Aug. 26-28 at the Polson Fairgrounds, Fourth of July parades and celebrations, and summer festivals across Lake County. Most are apt to draw hundreds, if not thousands of spectators.
Diana Luke, head of the Lake County Environmental Health Department, noted that counties around the state have different criteria in place for COVID-19 protections at large events. Missoula County insists that organizers consult with the health department when planning events with over 1,000 people; in Cascade County, attendance is limited to 75 percent of venue capacity; and Gallatin County limits attendance at indoor events to 150.
Ultimately, the three members of the health board present at the meeting voted for a resolution that asks event organizers to use the guidelines posted by the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov, under events and gatherings, and then, under the readiness and planning tool.
Public events are also required to post a risk assessment based on CDC designations, and those risks fall in four categories, ranging from low risk (such as virtual gatherings) to highest risk (large in-person gatherings where social distancing of six-feet apart is difficult, cloth face coverings aren’t required, and participants travel from outside the local area).
If attendance at indoor events is expected to exceed 75 percent of venue capacity, organizers must present a plan to the health board. If COVID-19 cases begin to surge, the health board may initiate additional restrictions.
“We want people to think about the event and realize we’re not out of the pandemic yet,” said health board member Barbara Markham.
While the Lake County Commissioners and public health officials all supported the need to provide guidance for event planners, the issue was tangled up in efforts to align with Gov. Greg Gianforte’s move to rescind a phased approach to reopening the state that was instituted by his predecessor last spring when the pandemic began.
Complicating matters further is House Bill 121, signed into law last week, stipulating that only elected officials have final say over health board actions. In Lake County, that means that if an event is found to be out of compliance with the new guidelines, county commissioners would have the ultimate say whether to rein in or cancel activities falling under the county’s jurisdiction.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are wrestling with similar issues. Brian Crawford, the sanitarian and safety officer for the tribes, noted that his department has also received several requests for guidance on events and recommends organizers use the CDC planning tools.
“It often comes down to the Tribal Council,” he added. “The most important part is to give
