Potato Drop requires vaccines or negative COVID tests. But there’s a big loophole
This year, anyone attending the Idaho Potato Drop should remember their vaccine card or proof of negative test — plus a mask or two — as both will be required inside Boise’s New Year’s Eve celebration in front of the Capitol.
But a loophole in city requirements could allow thousands of people to gather just outside the event site, with no mandate for them to get vaccinated or wear a mask, as the risk of an omicron outbreak looms over the area. One local health leader says the Potato Drop will be a “superspreader event.”
Mayor Lauren McLean directed in September that large events needing permits from the city require attendees to show proof of a vaccine or negative test for COVID-19.
While thousands of people typically gather for the Potato Drop, not everyone will be subject to these requirements. That’s because they will be enforced only for those entering Cecil Andrus Park, a city park across Jefferson Street from the Capitol where many of the festivities will take place, organizer Dylan Cline said.
Cline said up to 1,000 attendees can attend inside the park, but he expects thousands more to watch from Bannock Street and Capitol Boulevard, parts of which will be closed to vehicular traffic. Before the pandemic, several thousand people routinely watched the event in person.
Outside the park, no proof of a vaccine, negative test or mask will be required.
“People can come down and do whatever the hell they want,” Cline said in a Dec. 15 phone interview.
The city and organizers do not appear to be on the same page about exactly where the rules apply.
City spokesperson Lana Graybeal said Wednesday by email that requirements for a vaccine or negative test, along with masking, would be mandated inside Cecil Andrus Park and the portions of nearby streets that are closed for the event.
But Sandi Nahas, one of the event’s organizers, said Thursday that the requirements will be enforced only inside Cecil Andrus Park and that surrounding streets are not within their purview.
The McLean administration declined an in-person interview request by the Idaho Statesman and did not answer written questions on how safety would be maintained in spite of the large crowds.
Potato Drop could be superspreader of omicron
Health officials warn that the event, which has attracted crowds of several thousand people in years past, could be a superspreader with the highly contagious omicron variant starting to emerge in Idaho and nearby states. Such cities as Los Angeles and Seattle have already canceled New Year’s celebrations because of omicron.
Dr. Ted Epperly, CEO of the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, said any risk is reduced since the event is held outdoors, but the potential for spread is still great.
“It still absolutely will be a bit of a superspreader event, no question,” Epperly said by phone. “There will be people that will get sick from this event, especially if they’re unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.”
He said those who are vaccinated but have not received a booster shot are also at risk.
The delta variant, which ravaged Idaho’s health care system in the fall, remains the dominant strain in the state, with only three omicron cases detected so far. While the number of cases has declined since then, more than 2,700 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Idaho in the past three days.
Dr. David Pate, the former president of St. Luke’s Health System, said the start of the omicron spread comes at an inopportune time: People are traveling across the country, often in large groups.
There’s some evidence that omicron is less deadly than previous strains of the coronavirus, although it remains unproven, but Epperly and Pate said a more transmissible virus can be worse for public health than a more deadly one.
“If I was given a choice … I would always pick less transmissibility,” Pate said. “A significant increase in transmissibility can certainly overcome (being less deadly), because of the sheer numbers of people that will get infected.”
Epperly and Pate said Boise officials should consider implementing a citywide mask mandate, although they don’t expect that to happen. Boise had such a mandate for much of the pandemic before McLean lifted it in May.
It takes awhile for cases to spread and for hospitalizations to follow, so the full effects of an omicron outbreak would not be seen until February or March, as it takes weeks for symptoms to develop and for people to start going to the hospital, officials say.
“We are really getting set up for what could be … something really bad here in Idaho,” Pate said.
For now, masks are required only at certain public events and inside all city-owned buildings.
Boise to be hit with cold weather at New Year’s
In addition to an incredibly contagious virus, attendees will also have to contend with the weather during Friday’s festivities.
The National Weather Service is anticipating temperatures in Boise to remain in the low to mid-teens throughout the night, about 20 degrees lower than normal. Epperly said the risk for hypothermia is significant, especially if people are consuming alcohol, and people should dress appropriately.
“They’re going to be subject to extreme temperatures and hypothermia,” he said.
Epperly said for those on the fence, it might be worth being a couch potato and staying home to watch the celebration this year to forgo all risk.
“If you’re worried about any of those things, just give it a pass this year, watch it on TV, or in whatever way you want,” he said.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 3:27 PM.
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