Wichita’s September festivals likely to be mask-less despite delta spike

Wichita’s September festivals and conventions promise to draw thousands of attendees, but COVID-19 safety protocols for the events are almost entirely voluntary, as the delta variant surges and hospitals are overwhelmed with an influx of younger and sicker patients.

Open Streets ICT, scheduled for Sept. 19, has attracted as many as 36,000 people in past years, city spokesperson Megan Lovely said. The Sedgwick County Zoo is expecting between 5,000 and 6,000 guests for Zoobilee on Sept. 11.

Neither event will require patrons to wear masks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that the COVID-19 delta variant is highly transmissible — as much as two times more contagious than other strains of the virus.

Less than half of Sedgwick County residents are vaccinated against the virus.

The delta strain can be transmitted by vaccinated people, and although most new COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, breakthrough infections have occurred in vaccinated people.

For now, event planners are eyeing local guidance from officials on how to safely hold mass gatherings, as overcrowded intensive care units force area hospitals to begin diverting some patients. On Monday, Sedgwick County reported 181 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, more than in any weekly update since late January, and hospital officials say they face an ICU bed and staffing crisis.

Last year’s Open Streets ICT event was canceled due to the virus. In three weeks, the city will once again close a stretch of Douglas Avenue for an afternoon of biking, music and dancing, but Lovely said some precautions are being taken to minimize the risk of transmission.

“This year, we’re encouraging greater distancing among attendees and limiting the number of vendors allowed to participate in the event, as well as eliminating other activities along the street and will also not host bands this year,” Lovely said.

Risk of virus transmission at indoor gatherings is greater than at outdoor events, but city-run Century II will not require masks or social distancing at ICT Comic Con, scheduled for Sept. 11 and 12, which is expected to attract roughly 2,000 comic enthusiasts.

“We don’t actually have any facility mandates or anything like that about masking or social distancing, although we highly recommend those,” said Naomi Shapiro, arts and culture communication specialist for the city.

She said the city is taking cues from Sedgwick County on COVID safety, and declined to comment on whether or not it’s responsible for the city to host an indoor mass gathering without requiring masks.

“The city would be happy to reformulate ideas about that if the county board of health made another sweeping recommendation or mandate for such a thing,” Shapiro said. “Since they’re not mandating such things, we’re not going to right now.”

The Sedgwick County Commission effectively rejected County Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns’ proposed mask mandate for indoor public spaces Aug. 20 on a party-line vote. Republican commissioners voted to receive and file Minns’ order without taking action.

“To maximize protection from the delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, get vaccinated as soon as you can and wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission,” CDC guidance states.

Mayor Brandon Whipple said he doesn’t expect the Wichita City Council to pursue an indoor masking order or revisit other safety measures without direction from the county.

“The county commission sets COVID guidelines and staff at the city are in charge of ensuring COVID precautions are followed at city events,” Whipple told The Eagle Saturday.

He said Century II event organizers typically have to present a COVID-19 safety plan to city staff to get their application approved. City manager staff did not respond to The Eagle’s request for any additional information about virus precautions at the ICT Comic Con event.

The council did pass a citywide mask mandate in July 2020, but that ordinance expired last October while Minns’ mask order remained in place for all of Sedgwick County. The county commission voted to end that mandate in March.

Whipple said he would like to see the city take action to tighten safety precautions, but he doesn’t believe the votes are there.

“Frankly, without the support of (Cindy) Claycomb and (Becky) Tuttle, we don’t have the votes to move on a COVID ordinance, as other members have been consistently against precautions,” Whipple said. “I just don’t have the votes, nor support of the city manager at this time.”

Claycomb and Tuttle did not respond to The Eagle’s requests for comment over the weekend.

Up to organizers

In lieu of governmental orders on COVID-19 safety precautions, it’s up to event organizers to decide what if anything attendees will be required to do to protect themselves and others from the virus.

Sedgwick County Zoo spokesperson Jennica King said planning for the annual Zoobilee fundraiser has involved many long conversations about safety.

“Luckily, we are an outdoor event, so we do have that going for us. There’s plenty of room to be outside and to stay separate from people if you wish,” King said.

Food vendors and bar staff will be required to wear masks, but guests won’t.

“We are encouraging guests to wear masks during the event as well, although we are not requiring it,” she said.

Disposable masks will be available for attendees and hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout zoo grounds.

The zoo won’t administer rapid COVID tests or temperature checks, but King said guests will be asked how they’re feeling and encouraged not to put other people at risk.

“We are stressing to people at the time of ticket purchase and then also at the entrance, you know, if you’re feeling unwell, please don’t come in, or if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID or if you’ve tested positive for COVID,” King said.

She said personal responsibility will play a major role in whether or not attendees are protected from the virus.

“That’s the hope is that people kind of follow the rules and use good judgment and stay as distanced as they can and stay as safe as they can,” King said.

Whipple said his advice to Wichitans is to follow guidance from the medical community and their own doctors.

“I understand this pandemic feels so political, but it’s about public health,” Whipple said. “These are the people we trust when we are sick and we need to trust them to prevent sickness.”

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration gave full, official approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 16 and older. Children aged 12 to 15 can still receive the vaccine under the FDA’s emergency use authorization.

This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 5:00 PM.