County tipped off on ‘dangerous’ weddings

Large gatherings such as weddings remain “illegal and dangerous” under the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, Humboldt County’s Joint Information Center announced Wednesday afternoon.

The announcement, referencing state and local health officer orders in effect since March 20, was sparked by “numerous” tips to Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services from invited guests to two weddings — one in Petrolia and one in Ferndale — slated for the next two weekends.

In response, code enforcement officers reached out to family members. The message: Holding these gatherings is both illegal and dangerous.

“We all understand the desire to celebrate occasions such as weddings with family and friends. However, just as high school seniors had to sacrifice traditional graduation ceremonies, these types of large gatherings simply cannot occur,” Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said in the release. “We are in a pandemic and the potential for not only a large number of guests to become infected but for these individuals to then expose many more people in our community, is enormous. There is simply no way for Public Health to conduct timely contact investigations and limit disease spread when hundreds of people are exposed at one time.”

Wednesday’s release said law enforcement will be contacting the individuals involved, and enforcement action will be taken if these events proceed.

“I am hopeful that civic-minded residents of Humboldt will reconsider offering and attending such events until it is possible to hold them without violating the law and endangering the safety of the guests and the residents of Humboldt County,” Frankovich said.