Events across S.J. canceled, postponed
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recommendation to cancel large gatherings, several events in San Joaquin County are either being canceled or postponed for safety reasons.
On Wednesday, Newsom recommended Californians cancel all large gatherings until at least the end of March to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Public events should be limited to no more than 250 people, and should not proceed unless attendees can keep a distance of 6 feet between themselves, Newsom said.
The announcement comes as San Joaquin County Public Health officials announced on Thursday that two more county residents have tested positive for COVID-19. The new confirmations increase the total of those infected to three, leading County Public Health to declare a local emergency.
Zach Johnson, spokesman for the San Joaquin County Office of Education, said the organization would be canceling the Science Olympiad scheduled for Saturday.
The event typically features nearly 60 teams of students from 35 schools across the county, competing in academic competitions at the SJCOE’s Transworld Drive
campus.
“We’re looking at all our different gatherings on a case-by-case basis to determine whether we cancel or postpone them,” he said. “For the larger events, if it’s something that can be postponed, we will look at what dates it could possibly be held. For smaller events, it’s still possible they may be able to be held as scheduled.”
Sheri Coburn, SJCOE’s director of comprehensive health programs, said the organization developed a prepared emergency plan during the H1N1 epidemic in 2009. She said the organization had planned to follow that emergency plan regardless of the governor’s recommendation.
“It’s sad because students miss out on a great educational opportunity, but we recognize that protecting public health is of the utmost importance,” she said. “We really are encouraging precautionary measures and are making sure we have the appropriate supplies available.”
SJCOE officials are constantly meeting with district superintendents and public health officials to decide the future of classes this year, Coburn said.
The SJCOE partners with iHub San Joaquin to host the H20 Hackathon, where 50 teams of students in middle, high school and college spend the day designing apps to address the state’s water issues.
On Thursday, iHub San Joaquin announced it would be postponing the event, which was scheduled to take place at the SJCOE campus on March 21.
Any City of Lodi events that meet California Public Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control guidelines will be canceled, Lodi City Manager Steve Schwabauer said.
On Thursday evening, an email announced that the Shooter Jennings concert, scheduled to be held at Hutchins Street Square this evening, would not go on as scheduled.
The city was unable to reschedule the concert with Jennings, according to Patice Yee Green, the entertainment coordinator for the Square. Audience members who paid in cash would be issued a refund via check by the city of Lodi within 15 business days, she said, and those who paid with a credit card would see their payment refunded, also within 15 business days.
Mark Armstrong, manager of the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds, said its board of directors will discuss the possibility of canceling or postponing events at its Friday morning meeting.
While no decision had been made as of Thursday, he did say that the United Cerebral Palsy Club Crab Feed scheduled for Friday night would be altered.
Rather than have everyone sit down to dine, he said organizers will have guests “drive-thru” to pick up their crab.
About 400 guests were expected to attend the benefit dinner, said Lynn Hogue, chief executive office of UCP.
Guests will be guided around the Grape Festival Grounds to the covered outdoor eating area, she said, where they will pick up about 1.5 pounds of crab and the accompanying salad, rolls and pasta.
“At first we thought about doing a drive-thru with optional seating and spreading the tables apart to keep people at acceptable distances from each other,” she said. “But the logisitics just weren’t going to work and we decided to just go with the drive-thru. I think everybody will be comfortable with that.”
Jen Young, program director at the World of Wonders Science Museum in Downtown Lodi, said while there are no large events and exhibits scheduled in the coming weeks, staff is taking precautions to prevent the spread of disease.
“We’ve taken three exhibits off the floor that have components or parts that are just too small to clean and sanitize after every tour,” he said. “We’re sanitizing the museum after every family or group that comes through the museum, which is at least every 30 minutes.”
In addition, Young said, the museum is rescheduling field trips from local schools, while some districts are simply canceling.
The museum will send out safety updates to its members through emails and its social media websites as it receives information from public health and the CDC, he said.
Even local religious leaders are restructuring gatherings for prayer and worship after the governor’s announcement.
The Home Church on West Lane informed its members that it has increased cleaning and sanitization in its buildings as well as encouraging members to bump shoulders or nod and smile rather than shake hands or hug when greeting each other.
The church is also limiting its service sizes to no more than 250 in a room at one time.
“We believe it is our role and responsibility during this time to prioritize the physical and spiritual health of our members and others at large,” senior pastor Dr. Tom Pollock said in an email sent to congregation members. “We at The Home Church are supporting our local health officials and medical workers as they work to contain the virus. This is a dynamic situation that may affect our worship experience temporarily.”
Other organizations around the region that are canceling events include the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District.
The former organization is canceling its 19th annual Latina Business Conference, originally scheduled for March 31, while the latter canceled the trout derby at Rancho Seco Recreational Area scheduled for April 4 and 5.
The Calaveras County Arts Council also canceled The Diamonds concert at the Bret Harte Performing Arts Center in Angels Camp, which was scheduled for March 15.