77 SC Co. Coronavirus Cases Tied To Youth Basketball Tournament

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — A youth basketball tournament held last month in Placer County in violation of public orders has been tied to at least 94 new coronavirus cases including at least 77 in Santa Clara County, officials said.

The Nov. 7-8 tournament, which involved middle- and high-school-aged players, violated state and local health orders, the Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department said in a news release.

As of Friday, public health officials had identified 77 positive cases associated with the outbreak in Santa Clara County, including 39 youth players, three coaches, and 35 additional contacts. The ongoing investigation has also revealed 17 additional cases in other counties so far.

The tournament operators were cited by Placer County officials for violating a local health order, county officials said.

“This outbreak is a stark reminder that failure to follow public health requirements can ignite chains of transmission that accelerate the spread of COVID-19 within the community,” the Health Department said in a statement.

Thirty-three of 37 players and all three coaches from the Santa Clara County based teams involved in the tournament have tested positive for COVID-19, county officials said.

Factors that contributed to the transmission of COVID-19 included the tournament taking place indoors, players exerting themselves while in close contact with each other, and the length of time spent in close proximity during each game, county officials said.

Both the state and local health orders prohibit any competition between youth teams, and any indoor youth athletic activity not involving masking and social distancing, given the high-risk of transmission associated with these activities.

The California Department of Public Health has initiated an investigation involving the tournament operator, officials said.

In addition to violating state and local health orders, the tournament operators also failed to timely and properly report some of the initial positive cases among staff and players, which hindered the Public Health Department’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation in time to avoid more widespread transmission, county officials said.

The Public Health Department said early and complete reporting of COVID-19 cases is critical to its ability to detect transmission and prevent outbreaks like this from occurring.

“This outbreak is a troubling reminder that the widespread prevalence of COVID-19 in our community threatens all of us, and does not limit itself to geographic boundaries,” said Dr. Monika Roy, Assistant Public Health Officer for the County of Santa Clara.

“Public Health orders, directives, and guidance around contact sports and sporting events are in place for a reason. The risk of transmission in these settings can easily result in community spread that threatens the most vulnerable among us.”

The outbreak comes amid an explosion of COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County. Officials reported 2,055 new cases and seven deaths Monday for a two-day period going back to Saturday.

Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody called on the public to act responsibly to stop the spread of the virus.

“As cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions continue to soar to record levels with no sign of slowing in Santa Clara County or across California, each of us must take every possible step to protect ourselves and our loved ones from transmission of COVID-19,” Cody said in a statement.

“We risk continued, uncontrolled spread of the disease throughout our community and even more loss of life if we don’t each do absolutely everything we can to limit contact with anyone outside of our own household.”