At least 40 people went to a party — and one had COVID-19, Washington officials say

Brooke Wolford
·2 min read

As many as 70 people went to a June 19 party in Washington, and Snohomish County officials are urging attendees to get tested for coronavirus after one partygoer was found infected with COVID-19, the health district said on Friday.

The Snohomish County Health District announced recently that one person at a 40- to 70-person party in Stanwood, Washington, tested positive for COVID-19 after attending, The Seattle Times reported. While the health district tried to contact everyone who attended, it was unable to identify some of the partygoers and now asks people to take action themselves, the county’s website says.

Washington state has a total of 30,855 confirmed cases as of Friday, including 3,406 cases in Snohomish County, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The state has a total of 1,304 deaths, 167 of which are in Snohomish County, WSDOH said.

Snohomish health officials ask anyone who went to the gathering to either seek testing for themselves or quarantine at home through July 4, according to the health district’s website. People can register to get tested at one of the community-based testing locations or with their healthcare provider, the health district says.

If an attendee tests positive, the health district will give them further instructions, according to the website. The party guests need to be tested quickly to prevent the virus from spreading through the community further, the health district says.

Large parties have the potential for becoming super-spreader events, where a large number of people can become infected, according to KING 5 News. Snohomish County is seeing a growing number of reported large gatherings as some parts of the area, including libraries and museums, move toward Phase 3 of Washington’s reopening plan, the health district and KING 5 reported.

“Even though some larger events like weddings or funerals are permissible in Phase 2, we encourage caution by event planners and guests,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the Health District. “Smaller is still much safer. Also ask yourself if it’s an important enough event for you to stay home afterward for two weeks? If not, it might be better to sit that one out.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee put a statewide face covering requirement in place Friday, so residents must wear masks in all indoor and some //outdoor public spaces, according to Q13 FOX.