PENDLETON — Umatilla County has reported more than 400 COVID-19 cases for seven consecutive weeks during what many health care workers have called the largest pandemic surge since the pandemic started.

The delta variant crisis has slammed hospitals across the county and state and has caused record-breaking COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths since mid-July.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are flooding into the county this week for the highly-anticipated Pendleton Round-Up, by far the county’s largest annual event.

“We don’t want to make national headlines because of a super spreader event,” said Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara.

County officials are urging attendees to wear masks, maintain distance when possible and not attend the event if they are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.

After months of remaining largely silent on the measures it would take to mitigate the spread of infection, the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon in a post on Facebook said they will “heed all state and local public health mandates and guidelines.”

That means volunteers, contractors and staff will be “subject to wear a mask when not actively engaged in the events,” the post says. Guests over the age of five are “requested to wear a mask” if they are not having food or beverages.

Masks are required during large outdoor gatherings where distancing is impossible, regardless of vaccine status, per Gov. Kate Brown’s statewide mandate.

No proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to enter the Round-Up Grounds, the organizations said.

Infection rate remains high, vaccination rate low

“I’m obviously nervous,” said Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock. “We had a minor spike after the county fair. I’m just hoping that people are careful and that we can get through the week. I know everybody’s excited to have (Round-Up). Let’s hope that it goes off fine.”

Umatilla County’s infection rate remain stubbornly high and would have placed the county in either the high or extreme coronavirus risk category months ago. And its vaccination rate remains among the lowest in the state. Roughly two out of every five Umatilla County residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

The region’s health care system over the past month has been rocked by the delta variant, staffing shortages and minimal facilities to care for critically ill patients as hospitals across the Northwest have filled to the brim.

Fiumara said the Round-Up officials have been in conversation with the health department and have told him they will not allow people into the Round-Up Grounds without a mask on. Once inside the event, however, attendees eating or drinking do not have to don face coverings, per state guidance.

Signs showing a masked person in a cowboy hat were posted on the walls of Happy Canyon at the kickoff concert Sept. 11. It said: “Y’all wear a mask please: On with the show!”

The signs remind attendees there’s “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19” when gathering in public places and asked attendees to “follow all posted and verbal instructions” at the Happy Canyon grounds.

“COVID-19 is a contagious virus that can lead to severe illness and potential death,” the sign said, noting senior citizens and people with underlying health conditions are especially vulnerable. “By your participation in the event, you are accepting the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure.”

Tribes urge precautions

Umatilla County reported 20 COVID-19 deaths in August, one shy of its all-time pandemic record for deaths reported in a single month, which was set in July 2020. And it is likely there are more COVID-19 deaths that occurred in August that have yet to be reported, Fiumara said.

Officials over the past few months have voiced concerns about Round-Up being a potential source of COVID-19 spread. Some have pointed to a large surge in cases and hospitalizations that followed the Pendleton Whisky Music Fest, which drew upward of 12,000 people and saw at least 68 people fall ill, according to OHA. Those cases spread across Eastern Oregon and into Washington state and were almost surely an undercount, health officials have said.

But county officials have said they have no interest in barring the Round-Up because of the economic benefit it brings to the region, hauling in millions of dollars to local businesses that rely on large events and have struggled amid pandemic shutdowns over the past year.

The Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation said in a statement on Friday, Sept. 10, it discussed measures with the Round-Up and Happy Canyon boards for curbing the spread of the virus amid tribal activities this week.

The trustees noted the “Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon are not events the CTUIR has the responsibility to produce nor the authority to cancel” and added that attending the Round-Up is a personal choice.

“However, personal choices have the potential to cause repercussions for entire communities,” the Tribes’ board stated, “so we again ask everyone to take safety precautions this year during Round-Up and please take into consideration the health and safety of your friends, families, and loved ones and be respectful for fellow community members as you decide whether or how to participate this year.”

If a spike follows Round-Up, Fiumara said he was worried that already-exhausted hospitals could once again be overwhelmed. Despite the surge that followed Whisky Fest, however, Fiumara said there did not appear to be a large outbreak that resulted from the Umatilla County Fair, a good sign that being outdoors can mitigate COVID-19 spread even during mass gatherings.

New safety measures in place

“We know that (the delta variant) makes outdoor events less safe than they were, but we still think they are much safer than indoor events,” Fiumara said. “And most of Round-Up is an outdoor event.”

To be sure, events have occurred statewide in recent weeks bringing thousands of people together, including fairs and football games. Masks have been few and far between at several of those events, according to news reports.

Fiumara said state agencies have made it clear they will be keeping an especially close eye on the Round-Up, with the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Division and Oregon Liquor Control Commissioner in charge of enforcing some of the state mandates.

“All it takes is a complaint for them to need to follow up,” he said. “I’m under no illusion that these agencies aren’t aware of Round-Up happening this week. Not saying they’re out to get us, but we don’t want to give them a reason.”

The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon said in a Facebook post that it has taken “a range of new measures to increase the safety during our events.”

Those measures are hand sanitizer and hand washing stations, signs encouraging masking and distancing, medical personnel and ambulance coverage, and “increased” medical room size and coverage.

Murdock added the county has supplied more than 26,000 masks and two pallets of hand sanitizer for the event.