COVID Updates

Indoor masking to be required starting August 23rd. See below for further information.
https://medium.com/@GovInslee/inslee-announces-educator-vaccination-requirement-and-statewide-indoor-mask-mandate-a2f5a47d8a31

Kittitas County is currently in Phase 2 of Roadmap to Recovery and we are able to adapt our operations to the current restrictions. Please refer to the Roadmap to Recovery graphic to see what is available under Phase 2 and reach out to us with any questions. In addition, there is also new updates to the Agriculture Event recommendations and they are as followed:

Agricultural Events COVID-19 Requirements
Summary of February 26, 2021 change:
- Clarifies that guidance applies to food production and show/companion animals similarly for purposes of this document.
- Updates capacity limits. Indoor events are capped to 25% capacity, up to 200 people, whichever is fewer (this excludes staff). Outdoor events are capped at 200 people.
Summary of February 15, 2021 changes:
- Clarifies that food service is allowed for participants only and must comply with guidance for restaurants.
Summary of February 1, 2021 changes:
- New Phase 1 and Phase 2 requirements detailed
- Safety and health requirements updated at end of the document

Included Here:
- For purposes of this guidance, an “agricultural event” includes livestock and horse exhibitions/shows/sales/auctions, companion animal (dog, cats, rabbits, etc.) shows, or any substantially similar event.

Not included here:
- Agritourism such as commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism in order to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors and generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.

Agricultural events are permitted to operate, provided all requirements in this document are met. Each event must adopt a written procedure for operations at least as protective as the specific requirements outlined below and complies with all employee safety and health requirements.

Event venues and staff must ensure strict adherence to all measures established by the Governor’s guidance, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention: General Requirements https://lni.wa.gov/forms-publications/F414-164-000.pdf, and the Washington State Department of Health Workplace and Employer Resources & Recommendations https://www.doh.wa.gov/Coronavirus/Workplace (DOH).

General Event Requirements For Phase 1 and Phase 2:
1. All events must require participants to use cloth face coverings at a minimum.
2. Require all staff and any participant including exhibitors, sellers/auctioneers, buyers, competitors, judges, and veterinarians, to stay home if they are sick.
3. Food service is allowed for participants only and must follow the guidance for restaurants.
4. Whenever possible, events should be held outdoors or in outdoor arenas with optimal ventilation. Events held indoors are limited to 25% capacity or up to 200 participants at one time (not including staff) whichever is less. Outdoor events capped at 200 people.
5. Reduce in person interaction and allow for social distancing on site.
o Increase distance and limit the duration of contact (no more than 15 minutes) between exhibitors, visitors, judges, veterinarians, staff, and anyone else participating the event.
o Limit access to only necessary participants. Participants that are minors may be accompanied by one adult. No spectators, vendors, guests or visitors.
o Limit the number of people and/or animals in a ring to ensure that at least 6 feet is kept between the animal handler and other people including judges.
o Provide separate entry and exit points for participants going in and out of the show ring.
o Event staff may bring animals together to certify weight, to be sold (marketed/auctioned), to be sorted by buyer, and be grouped to be transported to their destination, to the extent practicable, to eliminate queuing.
o Limited exhibits may occur for livestock, poultry and rabbits intended for food without handlers being present during judging. This is to ensure these animals are handled in a timely manner to ensure proper animal care, well-being, and quality through to harvest.
o Limit the number of animals that can be exhibited by a single person (to be determined by the local event organizer and facility offerings).
6. Schedule events in stages to avoid high densities of people. Consider the layout of the grounds to account for human/ animal traffic patterns.
o Require pre-registration (if applicable).
o Schedule exhibit weigh-in/ drop-off/ move out times. Larger events may have to alternate days so that drop-off and show can occur in one day.
o Stagger exhibit/show/sale/auction times.
o Use sign-up sheets with specific time assignments for use of common animal/ human interaction areas (in- and out-gates, warm-up rings, grooming stations, wash racks, vet check areas, exercise lots, and restrooms).
o Consider a “show-and-go” with animals stalled at a trailer or in a vehicle and leaving immediately after the show if this will not compromise animal welfare (i.e. due to weather conditions such as high temperature and humidity).
7. Encourage participants to observe strict biosecurity.
o Clean and disinfect any equipment from home before bringing them to the event and again before they take them back home.
o Discourage the sharing of items/equipment that are difficult to disinfect between participants.
o Clean and disinfect animal areas between shows or events.

Employee Safety and Health
An agricultural event employer, during any phase has a general obligation to keep a safe and healthy facility in accordance with state and federal law and safety and health rules for a variety of workplace hazards. In addition, they must comply with the following COVID-19 worksite-specific safety practices as outlined in Governor Inslee’s “Safe Start – Stay Healthy" Proclamation 20-25 and in accordance with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries General Requirements and Prevention Ideas for Workplaces and the Washington State Department of Health Workplace and Employer Resources & Recommendations at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Coronavirus/workplace. All events are required to post signage at the entrance to the event requiring participants to use cloth face coverings when inside the event.

The health and safety of our guests is our top priority. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens, and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By attending events at the Kittitas Valley Event Center you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home. All guests may be subject to preventative measures including temperature checks, social distancing, and proper masking etiquette depending on the state of the community’s collective health at the time of the event. KVEC management will have the final decision on any and all health considerations. Guests deemed to violate any guidelines in the sole discretion of management will be subject to immediate ejection from the grounds without refund. An up-to-date communicable disease policy will be posted on this page at all times. Please reference this webpage prior to your visit. Once on grounds, please adhere to all posted guidance during your visit.

In accordance with the State of Washington's guidance for Roadmap to Recovery, all participants in activities must preregister with their event coordinator or be registered in the KVEC Haul-In Pass program. Event coordinators must maintain a roster of rental time attendees

Additional guidance that will be require of all participants on premises:

• Please wear face coverings at all times.
• Maintain 6ft of social distancing.
• Capacity of 50 participants for outdoor equine sporting activities.
• Participants only, minors may be accompanied by one adult. No spectators allowed at this time.

We kindly ask our community help us follow these guidelines so we may continue to host qualified events and programs on our grounds.

KVEC is currently shut down due to the new restrictions imposed by state mandate. Please see below for restrictions affecting the operations and availability of the Event Center, as well as tentative timeline of these guidelines. Please contact us if you have any questions. We will still be taking facility reservations for the new year.

From 11:59 PM on Monday, November 16 through Monday, January 4th 2021, all counties in Washington rollback to the restrictions outlined below.

Restriction modifications for all counties effective midnight on Monday, November 16, unless otherwise noted. If the activity is not listed, it should follow its current guidance.

1. Indoor Social Gatherings with people from outside your household are prohibited unless they (a) quarantine for fourteen days (14) prior to the social gathering; or (b) quarantine for seven (7) days prior to the social gathering and receive a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 48-hours prior to the gathering. A household is defined as individuals residing in the same domicile.
2. Outdoor Social Gatherings shall be limited to five (5) people from outside your household.
3. Miscellaneous Venues: All retail activities and business meetings are prohibited. Only professional training and testing that cannot be performed remotely, as well as all court and judicial branch-related proceedings, are allowed. Occupancy in each meeting room is limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
   • Miscellaneous venues include: convention/conference centers, designated meeting spaces in a hotel, events centers, fairgrounds, sporting arenas, nonprofit establishment, or a substantially similar venue.
4. Wedding and Funerals: Ceremonies are limited to a total of no more than 30 people. Indoor receptions, wakes, or similar gatherings in conjunction with such ceremonies are prohibited.
5. Professional Services are required to mandate that employees work from home when possible and close offices to the public if possible. Any office that must remain open must limit occupancy to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits.
6. Youth and Adult Sporting Activities: Indoor activities and all contests and games are prohibited. Outdoor activities shall be limited to intra-team practices only, with facial coverings required for all coaches, volunteers and athletes at all times.

To our community and facility users,

Thank you for your support and patience through the difficult times over the last few months. As we prepare to move in to Phase 3, we will make making a few steps forward to reopening. Currently, we will be allowed to host events under 50 people with social distancing rules enacted. All events held through Phase 3 and 4 will be expected to adhere to all local, state, and CDC guidelines for hosting events or might have to cancelled with loss of deposit or full payment.

We've taken many safety measures to make sure we use the recommended disinfectants, as well as take extra caution, while cleaning and preparing facilities for your use.

Our staff have been working hard to enact means of communicating over phone and email to help serve all our customers. This includes building a new, user-friendly software for event booking that will be available here on our new website. This will also allow us to safely take payments online for all your reservation needs. Throughout the remainder of Phase 3, our office will still be shut down from the public. Staff are available for scheduled appointments to help service your needs if business is required to take place in person. To schedule an appointment, please visit our Contact Us page and send us an email!