Super-Spreader Event? 100 Reportedly Attend California NYE Party As COVID-19 Numbers Rise

Officials confirmed that about 100 people attended a party at a mansion in Greater Sacramento's Placer County, which is under a regional stay-at-home order because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Placer County Sheriff 's Office spokeswoman, Angela Musallam, confirmed on Sunday that about 100 people attended a massive party at a mansion in the Granite Bay on New Year's Eve. Deputies responded to a noise complaint in the gated Los Lagos community but that they also left after the volume was turned down, CBS 13 reported.

"Deputies spoke to the owner and we did not receive any more complaint calls after the first contact," Musallam said, KCRA 3 reported, noting that the event prompted "no citations."

According to the Sacramento Bee, videos and photos of the event posted on social media show the attendees of the party not following basic COVID-19 guidelines, with many of them dancing closely together and not wearing masks.

This prompted backlash from the online community, the outlet reported, with many criticizing the "influencers" who attended the event.

Even Sacramento mayor Darrel Steinberg criticized the event, noting the "blatant disregard" for many people's sacrifices.

"If you wonder why the stay-at-home order remains in place and our ICUs remain under strain, look no further than the party attended by about 100 people in Granite Bay on New Year’s Eve, an event that showed blatant disregard for the sacrifices so many are making," Stenberg wrote on Twitter.

The area where the party was held has been under a regional stay-at-home order for weeks because the ICU availability dropped lower than 15%, with the amount of COVID-19 cases on an upward trend. Lasting for at least three weeks, the order prohibits "private gatherings of any size" and requires "100% masking" and social distancing.

As the CPDH explained, the regional stay-at-home order was put in place because of the "unprecedented surge" across the country including California. As of the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Tuesday update, the Greater Sacramento Region where Placer County is still has a low ICU bed availability at just 11.7%.

"We need to protect our hospital capacity so those who need care — for such things as cancer treatment, heart attacks, and strokes — can get it," the CPDH said. "By taking this action we are saving lives, protecting our health care delivery system and keeping those at highest risk and essential workers safe."

So far, the state of California has logged 2,452,334 COVID-19 cases and 27,003 fatalities, with most of the cases coming from the 18-49 age group.

Unfortunately, the numbers might get more grim in the coming days as experts have been predicting a "sharp rise" in COVID-19 cases after the holidays.

As of Tuesday, California health officials noted that it is still too early to determine whether the party was a super-spreader event, CapRadio reported, with UC San Francisco epidemiologist Susie Welty noting that those who attended the event should be quarantining.