City officials allow Covid super-spreader event in Riverfront Park

I have a tough time figuring out who is more irresponsible:

(1) The Salem Awakening organizers who held a Christian event in Riverfront Park attended by hundreds of people in violation of Governor Brown's order limiting outdoor gatherings to no more than a hundred individuals. 

(2) The attendees, most of whom weren't wearing masks and failed to engage in required physical distancing. 

(3) Officials with the City of Salem who have been allowing Salem Awakening to use the park without a permit for most of the summer, and who did nothing to control last Thursday's super-spreader Covid event.

I'm going to go with a three-way tie. Salem Awakening, the attendees, and city officials all deserve a Who Gives a Shit About Life? award, given that they all displayed an astounding degree of uncaring about reducing the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

On a positive note, today the Statesman Journal has a story by Whitney Woodworth about this, "COVID-19 'super spreader'? Concert, religious gatherings at Riverfront Park draw concern." To be clear, the Let Us Worship concert also was a religious gathering. Here's excerpts from the story.

Hundreds of people gathered at Riverfront Park on Thursday for a concert and religious celebration with little social distancing at times and few attendees wearing masks.

There is concern the concert could become a "super-spreader" event, especially as Marion County continues to have one of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Despite outdoor gatherings being limited during Phase 2 of reopening and masks being required outdoors if social distancing isn't possible, hundreds of people met at Riverfront Park for the Let Us Worship.

City officials said they were aware of the event but gave no answer on what enforcement would be taken to stop violations of the governor's orders. 

...Salem Awakening continued to meet at Riverfront Park and has said they will continue to do so until Labor Day. Their Facebook page promoted and included photos of the Let Us Worship concert on Thursday. 

After Labor Day, organizers said they plan to begin meeting outside Planned Parenthood in Salem regularly for a "worship service at the gates of Hell."

According to their social page, Salem Awakening organizers also helped organize Thursday's Let Us Worship concert. 

Well, that mention of Planned Parenthood shows some astounding hypocrisy.

If Salem Awakening really cared about preserving life, they wouldn't be sponsoring a Let Us Worship concert that put both attendees and their friends/families at considerable risk of being infected with the Covid virus.

Here's a short video someone sent me of what I assume is last Thursday's event. I uploaded it to You Tube because it deserves to be shared.

Comments

[Skyline]

Thank you for posting those wonderful pictures.
No baseball bats, molotov cocktails, bear spray, bricks, ugly signs; how refreshing!
Thank you for reminding us that there is still goodness and hope available.

[Eric Schuman]

Salem Awakening = Death