According to WFXR-TV, the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, VA is now being investigated by the Virginia Department of Health. The inspection was launched after fans reportedly suffered various gastrointestinal issues.
One attendee, a healthcare worker named Andy Petite, shared his experience:
“There’s discoloration, there’s all sorts of stuff. I’m 172 pounds right now which is 13 pounds less than I was at the age of 13.”
He went on to say he suffered nausea and diarrhea:
“Our nurse practitioner said Andy you need to go immediately to employee health and tell them you may have ingested parasitics or been introduced to one at least.”
Petite claims the issue was related to the water, saying his friends who used bottles were fine, while those who used drinking stations got sick:
“The symptoms were all relatively the same.”
Petit also described the living conditions:
“The camps, they were completely soaked and with the porta potties overflowing with water we were all literally traipsing around poop.”
He also added that his doctor thinks he could have been exposed to giardia. However, he tested negative while seeking treatment:
“Still unsure what the actual diagnosis is, so it’s a little concerning but I was cleared to return to work. Yesterday or last night actually was the first time I was cleared to return to work since the festival.”
The VDH has since launched a survey to see what attendees filled water bottles at the festival, used handwashing stations, or ate vendor food. It is also trying to determine if any of them ended up near the Dan River.
This news comes as organizers continue to blame the weather for the festival’s cancellation. They doubled down on those claims following various reports, which suggested that the event was halted due to poor working conditions, sanitary issues, an employee strike, and more.
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