Sonoma County’s events industry reacts with frustration to 30-day ban

Just as the North Bay’s events industry was beginning to regain its footing, Sonoma County has again slammed the brakes.

Beginning January 12, Sonoma County has banned for 30 days indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people in the wake of COVID-19 cases spiking throughout the county, driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant.

“It’s kind of frustrating seeing that come down and be the only county to do it thus far,” said Brian Ferrell, business manager at So Eventful, a Healdsburg-based events company in business since 2008 that puts on both social and corporate events. “Also, since we moved away from the tiers system, where at least there was some type of metric and goal, now it seems to be just on the discretion of the county health adviser.”

While the immediate impact to So Eventful is minimal, with no events scheduled in the next 30 days that must be canceled, the mandate could quickly result in the loss of new business, Ferrell said.

“We're getting leads almost daily,” he said. “And with so many of our clients not being from the area, they may get cold feet as well. And unfortunately, when they come to us with questions, we don't have any clear answers. Once again, with no metric in place, it’s just ‘Well, we're just doing it for 30 days.’”

Ferrell also noted a number of exceptions to the rule, “which makes it further confusing and frustrating.”

Under the mandate, the definition of a “large gathering” exempts places of worship, courthouses “or any venue that is open to public circulation as part of its regular operations such as shopping malls, stores, restaurants/food facilities, and museums.”

The order from Dr. Sundari Mase, health officer of the County of Sonoma, states that over the course of the past two weeks, the county’s coronavirus case rate has increased by nearly 400%, and is predicted to keep rising throughout the month. Half of the cases with known source of infection have been due to gatherings, with the majority being large gatherings, defined as more than 12 people.

Test positivity also is the highest it’s been throughout the pandemic, at 16.5%, compared to the previous peak of 9.7% during the pandemic, according to Mase.

For Sandi Lucchesi, sole proprietor since 2008 of A Sense of Wine in Healdsburg, the 30-day rule is yet another gut punch from the nearly 2-year-long pandemic. Lucchesi is an international wine consultant and certified sommelier who provides interactive, educational and customized wine programs for industry and corporate clients.

“Every time it's just like starting over from ground zero again,” Lucchesi said, “and it just takes that much more time to try and (rebuild) confidence and make sure people are following the protocols and feel safe and comfortable.”

While her booked events over the next 30 days are for fewer than 50 people, Lucchesi’s business pre-pandemic typically included between 50 and 200 attendees. She also had been a consultant for Norwegian Cruise Lines, conducting trainings and developing other wine programs on board their ships — business that promptly fell away two years ago.

In September, during the height of the delta wave of COVID-19, Lucchesi said she had to cancel 17 events.

But she is optimistic.

“The cool part is when we did get that little break between delta and omicron, people were so excited to be back in person,” Lucchesi said. “The vibe and the energy of the events was just electrifying. People were in such a good mood, and so happy to be out and about and seeing each other.”

Meanwhile, larger venues in Sonoma County took swift action after the mandate was announced.

The Green Music Center at Sonoma State University has cancelled two performances within its season that fall within the 30-day order. The New Century Chamber Orchestra had been scheduled for Jan. 21, and Alphabet Rockers had been slated to perform on Feb. 5, according to Andy Shepherd, senior manager of marketing and communications.

“We hope to be able to have them back sometime soon,” Shepherd said.

Ticketholders can get a refund, donate the amount of the ticket or apply it to a gift card, he said.

The SSU facility can seat 1,400 people indoors and 4,500 outdoors, Shepherd said. It was in early August when performances restarted, both indoors and outdoors given it was summertime, he noted.

The pandemic has proven to be an “evolving situation,” as Shepherd put it.

“I don't know that we'll ever get used to having to cancel performances,” he said. “It's always unfortunate.”

For the 1,600-seat Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, the 30-day order impacts 10 large-scale events scheduled through Feb. 11, according to Rick Nowlin, president and CEO.

“We will immediately begin working to postpone and reschedule, or cancel when there is no other alternative,” Nowlin told The Press Democrat in a statement.

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