COVID-19 cases tied to Gorge music festival rise to more than 200
GEORGE, Wash. — Public health officials said Monday that more than 200 COVID-19 cases are now linked to a three-day country music festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George that took place about two weeks ago.
Grant County public health officials said on Monday that they are aware of 210 people with COVID-19 linked to the Watershed Music Festival, The Seattle Times reported.
The Grant County Health District on Friday had said there were more than 160 cases. Officials are continuing to urge people who attended the event to self-quarantine and seek testing. The cases are linked to residents in nearly a dozen Washington state counties and one Oregon resident.
More than 25,000 fans packed the Gorge for Watershed, which marked the state’s biggest concert since the pandemic began in 2020.
Watershed festival organizers issued a statement Friday saying that they had “worked to ensure all recommended guidelines from local officials were followed.”
Live Nation, which controls the Gorge, said Friday it would require proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test result starting Oct. 4.
Blackfeet Tribe issues mask rule as virus spreads in Montana
HELENA, Mont. — The Blackfeet Reservation east of Glacier National Park implemented a mask mandate Monday after 18 cases of COVID-19 were identified in recent days.
The mandate comes even around 90 percent of reservation residents are fully vaccinated against the virus. In addition to a mask requirement, the tribe announced that its offices would be closed to the public.
The tribe also suspended non-essential travel for tribal programs. The travel restriction does not apply to tourists.
The Blackfeet Reservation has allowed tourists to return this summer after last summer it closed to visitors to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The tribe’s announcement comes as Montana is experiencing increased spread of COVID-19, with several hot spots including Flathead Valley on the western side of Glacier National Park.
The state announced 473 new cases on Monday, bringing the number of active cases in Montana to over 2,700.
The state had 191 COVID-19 related hospitalizations Monday, a number last recorded in January.
Of the state’s eligible population, 49 percent are fully vaccinated against the virus, state health officials reported.
Figures from last month showed that of those hospitalized with the virus, 89 percent had not been vaccinated.
Idaho man electrocuted after jumping on power transformer
IDAHO FALLS — Authorities in eastern Idaho say a man was electrocuted after jumping on a power transformer in Idaho Falls.
The Idaho Falls Fire Department said in a prepared statement the man died from the electrocution. Police and firefighters were sent to Idaho Falls Power shortly before midnight for a report of someone climbing on a water tower on the municipal utility’s property.
The fire department said the first responders found a man on the water tower and tried to convince him to come down, but the man was uncooperative and threatened to fight anyone who came up after him. The man later climbed down from the tower and onto a fence that surrounds the power plant.
The man was running along a concrete wall and then jumped onto a transformer, where he came into contact with a high voltage power line and died instantly, the fire department said. The man’s name was not released.
Two killed in fire that burned through apartment buildings
SPOKANE — Two people were killed and a firefighter was injured in a fire that destroyed two apartment buildings in the Browne’s Addition neighborhood in Spokane, fire officials said.
The fire started around 2:45 a.m. Monday. The fire burned two apartment buildings and flames could be seen shooting from the roof. Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer told KXLY-TV the blaze started in Tiffany Manor, which has 11 units, and spread to another building that had seven. He says all of the units were destroyed.
One firefighter was treated at a hospital for dehydration, officials said.
The Spokane Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the fire as potential homicide, KREM-TV reported.
The names of the people killed haven’t been released.
Windows smashed at two Stadium District Asian restaurants in Tacoma
TACOMA — The windows of two Asian restaurants were broken Sunday night on North Tacoma Avenue in the Stadium District, according to police.
Alarms went off around 9:30 p.m. at Indo Asian Street Eatery and Moshi Moshi, both located in the 100 block of North Tacoma Avenue. Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Wendy Haddow said there was no sign of entry at either business.
The businesses are located in the same building and owned by one person. Haddow said a private security guard responded to the alarm, and nothing in the incident report indicated the restaurants were targeted.
The owner of the restaurants was in contact with investigators, Haddow said. She said the report did not mention if the businesses had security cameras.
