Halloween rave to protest coronavirus restrictions drew thousands, Utah police say
Thousands gathered to party at a Halloween rave in the Utah desert, breaking the state’s coronavirus restrictions, police said.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said a rave near the Knolls, just south of Saratoga Springs, was attended by 2,000 to 10,000 people, KSL reported. The rave had DJs, a stage and a sound system.
People were packed with “very little mask wearing” and no social distancing, according to the station.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office told Fox 13 that a woman was injured while crowd surfing and the party was shut down by police because organizers of the event didn’t have a permit. Around a “dozen organizers through The Tribe Utah” were responsible and could face charges, Cannon said.
Event volunteer Karson Jensen said The Tribe Utah wasn’t the host and the party was organized by volunteers, Fox 13 reported.
The Utah County Health Department issued a statement on large gatherings on Nov. 2, according to KUTV:
“As we struggle in our local and state-wide communities to contain the COVID-19 virus and mitigate its impacts on our communities, it is unfortunate that some would ignore public health and medical guidance and plan and participate in an event that would allow for the ready spread of the disease between individuals which can then be taken back by these individuals to our communities and infect others who are trying to follow public health and medical recommendations.”
Utah has seen a rise in coronavirus cases by around 10% and doctors have grappled with a 17.7% rise in hospital patients in the last week, The Washington Post reported.
There are more than 9.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and at least 614 people have died in Utah as of Nov. 3, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Event organizers are required to fill out a form, which instructs them to mandate mask-wearing and social distancing at their event. They’re also required to fill out names and contact information of event attendees in case of an outbreak. Organizers that haven’t filled out the form aren’t allowed to have more than 10 people in areas with high transmission, including Utah County, according to state restrictions.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Halloween rave to protest coronavirus restrictions drew thousands, Utah police say."