COVID-19 cases are declining
By Terry Murry on Thursday, October 7th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
PENDLETON – Umatilla County Board of Commissioners Chairman George Murdock says the number of COVID-19 cases are beginning to decrease after an uptick that has been traced to the Pendleton Round-Up by Umatilla County Public Health.
There have been at least 170 cases of COVID-19 that appear to have been linked to the rodeo and its many events. It’s also estimated that 51,500 people attended Round-Up week. That would mean about 0.33 percent of the people were affected.
“Any new cases are certainly of concern, but compared with the people who attended, it’s a relatively low number,” Murdock said.
The cases reported as having a link to Round-Up are of those people who participated in any aspect of the celebration which – in addition to the rodeo and night pageant – include a carnival, two parades, live entertainment on Main Street, community breakfasts and a host of other activities.
“What we have learned through the process is that a number of attendees were unvaccinated and there was a disappointing lack of willingness to follow the recommended protocol by those attending,” Murdock wrote in his weekly newsletter.
