With the fate of Lewis County’s most celebrated event hanging in the balance, hundreds of residents showed out virtually — and in-person in a packed hearing room at the Lewis County Courthouse — as officials weighed how to mitigate surging COVID-19 cases at the six-day Southwest Washington Fair.
And whether to hold it at all.
Fair exhibitors, vendors and organizers were finishing last-minute preparations at the Southwest Washington Fair, less than 24 hours away, when Lewis County’s Board of Health called an emergency meeting.
Over the phone to the large crowd — some of whom appeared ready for the event, in FFA and 4H attire — Health Officer Steve Krager announced he “strongly” recommended the fair be canceled.
Krager cited an “unprecedented” rise in COVID-19 cases, which health care workers reported are straining local hospitals. The county’s hospitalization rate, Krager said, is the highest in the whole state.
But the board of health — composed of all three county commissioners — opted to forgo Krager’s main recommendation, choosing instead a watered-down version of Krager’s second option, which was to limit capacity and enforce universal masking indoors and out.
Ultimately — to the cheers and applause of the crowd — commissioners agreed to adopt recommendations that fair-goers wear masks and social distance. They also signaled a desire to increase ventilation and public health signage and move events outdoors when possible.
“Frankly, I know what it takes to haul in a fair. I know what it takes to set up,” said Commissioner Lindsey Pollock, who also serves on the fair’s advisory commission. “At this point in time, I do not see it as realistic to cancel this event.”
According to Thomas Larson, chair of the fair’s advisory commission, organizers were expecting some sort of recommendation, and were prepared to set out extra masks or signage.
“It’s not a major planning hurdle,” Larson told The Chronicle. “It was just a major scare.”
The decision came after testimony from local health care representatives, as well as Salkum Fire Chief Duran McDaniel, who told the board that with hospitals at capacity, emergency responders have had to airlift patients to hospitals further away.
“That’s $60,000, folks, to get them out of East County to another facility,” he said, noting that volunteer responders are “tied up just trying to get to a hospital.”
Tony Kuzma, operations manager at American Medical Response (AMR) echoed the sentiment, although both men stopped short of making recommendations regarding the fair.
Kuzma told commissioners that ambulance crews are waiting up to three hours to offload patients to hospitals “because the hospitals are so overwhelmed.”
With large events, he said, “we’ve shown that there are spikes in the COVID numbers, and now we’re trying to send our kids back to school. And the problem is going to get worse. And we don’t want there not to be an ambulance available when you call 911 for your family, or for your children and neighbors. We want to be able to be there. We’re doing everything we can, but the system is just overwhelmed.
“I just know that our responders are tired. They’ve been doing this for a year and half.”
Providence’s Chief Medical Officer Kevin Caserta also reported full hospitals, with Centralia and St. Peter hospitals currently caring for 88 COVID-19 patients — far more than the previous high of under 60.
And with the hospital seeing more young patients getting sick with COVID-19, Caserta said there are “people younger than me who will likely die this week of COVID.”
Commissioner Sean Swope had the strongest reaction to the idea of potentially canceling or restricting the fair.
When the first-term commissioner accused Caserta of making statements about wanting “to use fear” and talk about death to prevent people from going to the fair, he was met by applause. Caserta confirmed he had made the comment about using fear. Swope also pressed Caserta to commit to “do everything you can” to prevent unvaccinated staff from being terminated after Washington state mandated most health care workers to get inoculated against the virus.
“I think one of the biggest things, too, if you don’t feel safe going to the fair, stay home,” Swope said.
Commissioners’ recommendations also came after legal counsel from the prosecuting attorney’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Eric Eisenberg told the board that implementing nothing “could produce anticipated litigation for the county,” especially after a robust and public conversation on the risks of COVID-19.
“At least publicly recommending” some measures, Eisenberg said, could reduce liability to the county, even if there’s no intention of enforcing the mask or distancing recommendations.
Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Meyer, on the other hand, contended that “as far as the fair-goers go, they know what the risks are, and they’re willing to go and they’re willing to accept those risks. And I think that has to be factored into it as well.”
Meyer was also met with loud applause.
The fair commences Tuesday at 10 a.m.
