Napa County To Soon Allow Festivals, Other Live Outdoor Events

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Let the wine festivals, benefit events, concerts and 5K runs commence.

The state of California recently made changes to its public health order to allow outdoor live events starting next month, and Napa County announced Thursday it will start accepting applications April 1 for temporary event permits.

"By accepting Temporary Event Permit applications, Napa County is opening up and supporting local businesses and community organizations who want to begin holding events again," said David Morrison, director of Planning Building and Environmental Services for Napa County.

Napa County typically grants between 50 and 100 temporary event permits every year for short-term public gatherings such as Music in the Vineyards, Festival de Sol and Napa Valley Marathon. All such events scheduled for 2020 were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Permit fees were refunded or in some cases put toward 2021 events, the county said.

Event restrictions vary by tier on the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Napa is currently in the red tier which means the number of attendees will be limited and attendees must be California residents, the county said.

Further, food and drinks must be served at tables, workers may need to be tested for coronavirus, and guests may need to be tested or vaccinated.

Once events are up and running in Napa County, officials ask that attendees heed some advice.

"As the weather warms and health conditions in our community continue to improve, it is important to remain vigilant and continue to practice protective measures like wearing a mask, washing your hands, and maintaining your distance from those outside your household," said Dr. Karen Relucio, public health officer for Napa County.

Napa County COVID-19 Situation

As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, 85,516 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Napa County residents and workers; there were 16 new cases of coronavirus reported in the county since Wednesday; a total of 9,321 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the county since the onset of the pandemic; and there have been 78 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Napa County.

Napa County moved into the red tier March 3. Tier assignments are based on the case positivity rate of each county and are reviewed weekly by state public health officials. Counties must remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks before moving forward.