Festival goers chat while queuing during day two of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, January 24, 2020 in downtown Park City.
Festival goers line Main Street in downtown Park City on day two of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, January 24, 2020.
The Egyptian Theater Marquee appears during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City on January 28, 2020.
Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo
Festival goers chat while queuing during day two of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, January 24, 2020 in downtown Park City.
The streets of Park City already appear to be busier than they were a few weeks ago, and they’re set to become even more congested as visitors flock to the city for the return of the Sundance Film Festival.
The event, which will be the first in-person festival since 2020, is likely to draw celebrities and crowds, but the coronavirus could also make an appearance.
Summit County health officials anticipate a rise in respiratory illnesses like COVID, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as more people travel to the community, but most people don’t need to worry — especially if they take the right precautions .
“I think we will continue to experience the same ebb and flow this year that we have seen so far. Just like with ski season and visitors coming from out of town, I think we’re only going to see the ups and downs of this flu and cold season and COVID starting to find its seasonality,” Nancy Porter, an epidemiologist, who works for the Summit County Health Department, said. “We’ll continue to monitor that, but I don’t think we’ll see anything crazy at any event.”
Sundance organizers in August outlined the COVID safety precautions that would apply as they prioritized creating a space that would allow the community to watch movies together in a hybrid facility. This included requiring all staff and volunteers working at the festival to wear masks and conduct weekly COVID tests. Festival-goers are also asked to wear masks in all Sundance spaces and to test negative prior to attending the event. COVID-19 vaccinations are not required to participate but are recommended. The Sundance Institute will also be working with a COVID-19 safety team to ensure all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines are being followed.
Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo
Festival goers line Main Street in downtown Park City on day two of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, January 24, 2020.
Resources such as testing, vaccines, and other treatments have allowed community spread to remain low in Summit County. The public also plays a role.
“What we’re really seeing is that behaviors remain very important,” said Deputy Health Director Shelley Worley. “To make sure people are sick, we encourage them not to travel and not to be in public, masks are still available and encouraged to use, and they are just willing to keep up with the precautions that the been recommended all along. Not just for COVID, but for the flu and RSV and everything else that’s been going around this winter.”
The three respiratory illnesses rose nationwide ahead of the holiday, but the latest data compiled by Porter showed a 50% drop in all cases. There have been 63 confirmed COVID cases in the past two weeks, compared to more than 100 cases in the 14 days prior.
The Department of Health’s new respiratory disease dashboard, which tracks flu and RSV cases since 2019, also shows a downward trend since before Christmas. In the week of December 22, 97 cases of influenza and 28 cases of RSV were reported. This week, 37 cases of influenza and 14 cases of RSV were confirmed.
Some of the drop could be due to delays in testing, Porter said, but it’s also possible that “we’re starting to see things slowing down.” COVID test positivity has consistently remained below 15%. Health officials have also been monitoring sewage data, which showed increases that correlate with furlough trends.
Arthur Mola, Invision via `
The Egyptian Theater Marquee appears during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City on January 28, 2020.
With an influx of people expected to travel to Park City for Sundance, COVID, flu and RSV cases are likely to increase in the weeks to come. However, county health officials do not expect a significant increase or increase. Instead, case numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the remainder of the winter season — although they shouldn’t reach the same high COVID levels in 2020 or 2021.
Worley encouraged the community to take advantage of the tests, home kits, vaccines, boosters and personal protective equipment offered by the health department to help contain the spread of respiratory viruses. Flu numbers have been particularly low in 2020 due to precautions being taken because of COVID, such as masking and social distancing.
“We will experience the winter season with ebb and flow. We will waver when people arrive. It’s something the health department is aware of,” she said. “We’re not just focused on COVID, we’re focusing on everything we have in relation to the cold and flu season.”
The Department of Health plans to continue to encourage community messaging, including washing hands, not going out in public if you feel sick and tips on staying off the “snot list” to protect yourself from illness.
Many respiratory diseases are similarly transmitted through coughing, sneezing, or close contact with an infected person. Symptoms are also similar, with fever, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, runny or stuffy nose, and body aches.
Worley recognized that COVID is still a concern and should be taken seriously, but said some groups, such as young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, are at greater risk. She said each individual should assess their own risk and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and those they love.
“COVID is still a problem. It’s something we learn to adapt to and live with. And we will continue to see it, as well as different variants. It’s going to be ups and downs in our community and we need to learn how to deal with it,” the deputy health director said.
Porter also expects some new COVID variants reported on the East Coast could make their way west and into Summit County. She said there’s usually a two-week delay in a variant’s release. The bivalent booster and antivirals released in September are effective against the latest strains of COVID, but monoclonal antibodies are less so, Porter said.
The health department offers vaccinations against several viruses. Flu shots and the bivalent COVID booster are available in Coalville every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and every Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m 5:30pm through Thursday in Park City and 8am to 11am and 1pm to 5:30pm every Tuesday and Wednesday in Kamas until supplies run out.
Testing is also available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Round Valley/Quinn’s Junction office at 650 Round Valley Drive in Park City. Call 435-333-1500 for more information.
Sundance is scheduled for January 19-29 in Park City and Salt Lake City with in-person and online screenings—beginning nationwide on January 24—as well as panel discussions and other special events.
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