7 parties near Washington State campus draw fines for breaking COVID-19 rules, cops say
The Pullman Police Department isn’t messing around when it comes to enforcing party restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
After police in Pullman, Washington, responded to about a dozen parties the weekend of Aug. 22-23, officers issued citations to eight party hosts the next weekend, according to Gary Jenkins, Pullman’s police chief. Jenkins warned that the department would step up enforcement for violating the nuisance party ordinance after Whitman County Public Health linked a rise in COVID-19 cases to gatherings near Washington State University.
That’s just what happened Aug. 27-30, Jenkins told McClatchy News. Seven parties on College Hill near the WSU campus hosted by college-aged residents, and one party on Sunnyside Hill hosted by a woman in her 50s, prompted police to issue each host a $250 fine for violating the 10-person gathering limit, according to Jenkins.
Pullman’s nuisance party ordinance requires gathering attendees to wear masks, abide by social distancing guidelines and limit the number of attendees, Jenkins said. A second violation of the ordinance would draw a $350 fine, according to Jenkins.
The largest party officers responded to hosted about 40 people, Jenkins said. Police issued one citation on Aug. 27, three on Aug. 28 and 29, and one on Aug. 30, KREM reported.
Whitman County has 509 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Aug. 31, according to the county’s public health website. There have been two hospitalizations as of Aug. 31 and no deaths.
The county’s “current risk of spread” based on a seven-day case average is “high,” meaning the community spread is greater than two cases per day. There is at least one “uncontrolled congregate outbreak” and two or more “controlled congregate outbreaks,” Whitman County Public Health says.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 3:09 PM with the headline "7 parties near Washington State campus draw fines for breaking COVID-19 rules, cops say."