Health officials warn of possible COVID exposure at Branson theater, performer speaks out

BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) - After a warning from the Taney County Health Department about possible COVID-19 exposure at a Branson theater, a performer there is speaking out.

Officials with the Taney County Health Department say people who went to the God and Country Theater earlier this month could be at, what it calls, “high-risk” of getting the virus.

Diana Allyn who performs at the theater says crowd sizes at the shows have been down during the pandemic. She says it’s been tough on the theater industry.

“The max [number of people] we’ve been able to put in here so far [during the pandemic] is like 40,” Allyn said. “When you have to social distance and you have to keep your people safe, how do you make enough money to stay in business?”

Earlier this week, the Taney County Health Department announced that someone who has been in God and Country Theater, where Allyn performs, tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, even fewer people have bought tickets to her shows.

“When people hear it, they immediately get panicked,” Allyn said. “The building does not have COVID. An individual tested positive for COVID,” Allyn said.

While health leaders can’t say who tested positive or whether they work at the theater or not, they do urge people who were at the theater between September 9 and 21 to let them know and monitor for symptoms.

Meanwhile, sources who spoke with KY3 News voiced concerns about the person interacting closely with guests at the theater while infectious, but Allyn says he or she did not.

“That individual actually had cancelled shows and didn’t perform, wasn’t doing anything, wasn’t in the theater, shaking hands, anything, as soon as we found out and even before,” Allyn said.

Health officials call an exposure “high-risk” when it meets certain factors, like being in enclosed spaces, touching, through things like handshakes, and/or being in crowds. They also say things like singing or yelling can cause the virus to spread beyond six-feet.

Still, Allyn says the theater, which has two venues and multiple shows tries to do its part to stop the spread.

“Everybody deep cleans, everybody cleans before a show, after a show. And, our shows are staggered,” Allyn said. “We don’t want it. We don’t want to be spreading it. We certainly don’t want our audience members spreading it.”

Health department officials couldn’t speak about this case specifically, but the director says they notify people as soon as possible after they receive positive test results. They try to call that person three times and if they can’t reach them, they send a letter.

Health officials say isolation orders are official orders, bound by law. However, so far, the Taney County Health Department has not had to take measures to force people to quarantine, beyond just verbally telling them to self-isolate.

To read more about this possible exposure, click here.

Copyright 2020 KY3. All rights reserved.