Splash House weekend 1 contact tracing shows zero COVID-19 cases

Riverside County reports no cases of COVID-19 have been recorded following the first weekend of the annual Splash house event.

The two-day pool party, which is hosted at the Saguaro, Margaritaville, and Renaissance hotels in Palm Springs, kicked off last Saturday and wrapped up a day later.

Today, party goers both from inside and outside the Coachella Valley are flocking once again to the desert for the second week of festivities.

Event organizers are working with county health officials to ensure the health and safety of visitors and the surrounding community.

Anyone who attends the event is asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours.

Attendees must show proof when they check in at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

In addition to these measures, event organizers are also implementing contract tracing.

Michael Osur, Assistant Director for Riverside County Department of Public Health said when it comes to large events like concerts or Splash house that attract thousand of people, some potentially from out of state, "it's very hard to contact trace."

Osur said the idea behind contact tracing is to talk to a person who tested positive for COVID-19 and figure out who was near that person that might have been exposed to the virus.

Health officials can then contact those people and take the appropriate next steps to stop community spread of the virus. 

If an individual is not symptomatic, they are still asked to quarantine at home to ensure they don’t potentially infect anyone else, since it takes anywhere from 3 to 14 days for the COVID-19 virus to work its way through the body. 

With cases of COVID-19 rising throughout Riverside County and more large events returning after shuttering because of the pandemic last year, there are concerns about whether enough is being done to stop new cases from popping up.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more developments.