What started as a fun New Year's Eve party in San Jose has turned into a nightmare for over a dozen people.
The party, complete with food and a live band, was put on by Moose Lodge 401, but many are now worried that the gathering has become a super-spreader event, and some attendees say nobody is tracking it.
Moose Lodge 401 member Martha Jimenez said she contracted COVID-19 for the second time and believes it happened at the party.
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"Still sick," she said. "Not feeling too good still."
She named 15 other people who she says also tested positive after attending the party. NBC Bay Area has confirmed two band members also tested positive.
Jimenez said she knows she's partly to blame for her infection by choosing not to wear a mask even though there were signs at the entrance.
"I’m sorry to all my family," she said. "They're always telling me to stay away, stay home."
What also bothers Jimenez is that those who got infected are doing their own contact tracing. She said no one has heard anything from the lodge.
"To this day, they have still sent no notices to us," she said.
A Moose Lodge 401 administrator told NBC Bay Area that people were told ahead of time to wear masks. He said, for now, the lodge will be closed until the executive board discusses the matter, which was scheduled to happen Monday night.
The administrator also said the lodge hosted a 49ers watch party on Sunday, but said it involved a limited number of members who were required to wear masks and show their vaccination cards.
Chris Martinez canceled his plans to attend the New Year's party.
"I really feel bad for them," he said. "That’s why I didn’t go. I didn’t know what the circumstances were - you have to wear a mask, you don't have to wear it. I know they served food and you're going to eat the food. I don't know if they wore gloves cooking the food."
Members like Jimenez said they want the lodge to get professional cleaned and disinfected before it reopens.
"I’m scared for many other people to get infected," Jimenez said.
The public health department said it will contact the Moose Lodge to find out exactly what happened and to explain the guidelines.
