PULLMAN, Wash. — Pullman police ticketed ten people since Thursday, Aug. 27 for violating the COVID-19 mandates in place.
According to Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins, one ticket was issued on Thursday, three were issued on both Friday and Saturday and another was given on Sunday. Two more were issued since Monday, Aug. 31, according to a press release from the Pullman police department.
Nine of those tickets were given out to hosts on College Hill, and one was given out on Sunnyside Hill, the release reads.
Everyone who was ticketed was college-aged apart from one woman in her 50s, Jenkins said. Only people hosting parties were ticketed and given a $250 fine.
Pullman is the biggest city in Whitman County. Jenkins announced on Tuesday the department would be citing people who do not abide with current guidelines by having parties or gatherings of more than 10 people.
The tickets are for "nuisance party infractions," according to a release from the Pullman Police Department. "Nuisance party" is a local ordinance that prohibits anyone from hosting or allowing a party and permitting certain activities, according to the release. Prohibited activities include endangering the health of others, or any activity that is unreasonably detrimental to public health.
Jenkins said, if there is a gathering of 10 people or more, the party host will be fined $250, with a second violation resulting in a fine of $350. After that, if someone continues to violate the rule, a civil infraction will turn to a misdemeanor.
Adjusted for population size, Pullman has one of the fastest-growing coronavirus outbreaks in the nation, according to a New York Times data dashboard.
The ranking means Pullman has the sixth greatest number of new cases in comparison to how many people live in the area, according to the data dashboard. Based on numbers from the last two weeks, Pullman has five new cases of coronavirus per every 1,000 residents, according to the dashboard.
Many of Pullman's new coronavirus cases have occurred since Washington State University students began moving back to the area, regardless of the university urging students to stay home amid rising coronavirus cases in Whitman County.