A Fresno County wedding party has us shaking our heads. For the sake of public health, stop

The words “wedding” and “party” naturally go together. But in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, such joyous occasions have to take a back seat to public health.

So it was disturbing to learn from the mayor of Huron, a small farming town in western Fresno County, that a wedding gala was held at an apartment complex in the community in late March. Turns out one of the guests, a person believed to be from out of the area, had tested positive for coronavirus and may have exposed others.

“For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part ” are the traditional wedding vows. But coronavirus is causing brides and grooms everywhere to reconsider how to stage the big day. Here’s a piece of advice for any Valley couples with dates circled on the calendar in the short-term: Wait. And, until then, stay at home.

Rising caseload

The interim county public health officer, Dr. Rais Vohra, said Monday that the local peaking of COVID-19 cases would not likely be reached until the end of April, as the central San Joaquin Valley is trailing the Bay Area, Sacramento and Southern California in both number of cases and rate of infections.

But Vohra sounded the alarm by adding that Valley hospitals could easily get overwhelmed if too many people got sick at once. If the worst-possible outcome occurs, Fresno County would be short several hundred hospital beds and ventilators, he said.

While the Valley has had notably lower rates of infection than other parts of the state, it has managed fewer tests to see who is infected. So the likelihood is more people have the disease than is known.

Best plan

Public health experts say the best way to avoid contracting coronavirus is to stay home. California state health officials issued a directive last month calling on nonessential gatherings to be canceled or postponed.

So events like weddings need to be pushed off for now. In fact, it is imperative that all Valley residents continue to work at sheltering. There can be no let up until the health experts say the worst has passed and life can begin to return to what was normal.

That might be a harsh reality for an eager young couple. But as any husband and wife who have been together for a while can attest, facing challenges and disappointments is a fact of married life.

And as long-married couples also well know, “This too shall pass.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 9:42 AM.