Wake resident who went to Millennium Tour concert in Raleigh tests positive for COVID-19
Wake County is reporting that a local resident who attended The Millennium Tour 2020 concert featuring Omarion, Bow Wow and Ashanti at PNC Arena on March 13 has tested positive for COVID-19.
The person was symptomatic while attending the concert, the county said. North Carolina has more than 130 coronavirus cases, and a little less than half are in Wake and Durham counties.
The Wake County resident was at the concert from 8:20 p.m. to midnight, the county reports. Their seats were on the floor in Section 5 but they “moved throughout the crowd during the show.”
“Because the crowd was so mobile, it would be very difficult to determine who came within six feet of the affected person for 10 minutes or more,” Wake County Medical Director Dr. Kim McDonald said in a news release. “If you went to the show and spent time on the floor, you may be at risk of exposure.”
If you attended the show or worked at PNC Arena on March 13, you can call an information line at 919-857-9375.
The concert, called The Millennium Tour 2020, also featured other early-2000s R&B and hip-hop artists. Other tour dates have been rescheduled.
Wake County is also emailing everyone who bought tickets to the Raleigh show to advise them about the situation and next steps. County officials say they don’t believe anyone at PNC Arena outside the 8:20 p.m. to midnight time frame was at risk.
PNC Arena emailed a statement to The N&O:
“Wake County officials have made us aware that a guest that attended The Millennium Tour on March 13 tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. As always, the safety and well-being of our guests, employees, vendors, partners and performers are our top priorities. We are assisting local officials in notifying attendees who were present last Friday night, and we will continue to follow the leads of our country, state and federal leaders in mitigating the spread of this illness.”
‘This situation could have been avoided’
Cooper declared a state of emergency on March 11. On March 12, he recommended that all mass gatherings of more than 100 people be canceled or postponed. Many venues complied, but not all. That night, Billie Eilish performed at PNC Arena. On March 13, The Millennium Tour concert was held, with one attendee now a confirmed COVID-19 case. On March 14, Cooper made the gatherings ban a mandate.
Wake County Commissioners Chair Greg Ford posted on his public Facebook page Thursday night, saying:
“This situation could have been avoided entirely. PNC Arena did not have the authority to cancel it: Gale Force Productions, the parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes, operates concerts and events at the PNC Arena and therefore had the authority to cancel this event - as well as the Billie Eilish concert the night before. But they didn’t.”
Ford noted that the concerts were after Cooper’s guidance to postpone or cancel large gatherings.
“The producers of both of these concerts chose to go on with the show despite the public health risk. The 18,000+ people who attended the Billie Eilish concert that Thursday night, and the 5,000+ people who attended the Millennium Tour concert the next night, also chose to ignore public health guidelines, Ford said. He said any transmission of coronavirus at the concerts could have been avoidable.
Wake County has been advising the public about places people who have tested positive for coronavirus have visited in the area. Previously, attendees of the BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention on March 8 at the Raleigh Convention Center were notified that someone who had been there for part of the day later tested positive for the virus.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 4:37 PM.
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