MILPITAS — Mayor Rich Tran and Councilmember Evelyn Chua attended an in-person City Council meeting Tuesday after possibly being exposed to COVID-19 at a local bar last week , according to Chua, comments on Tran’s Facebook page, and other city officials.
Tran knew about the potential exposure at least as early as Monday night but attended the meeting anyway and did not inform any of his council colleagues about it, multiple city officials said.
“I do not have covid, negative thanks,” Tran said in a brief text message to this news organization Thursday, declining to be interviewed because he was “away today.”
Chua said she only found out about the possible exposure on Wednesday afternoon, after she had already attended some community events since being at the bar on Aug. 12 with Tran for a “karaoke with the mayor” event that turned out to have been canceled when the DJ didn’t show up. One of the earlier events she attended Wednesday was a restaurant opening celebration at iChina in Santa Clara.
She said she was upset that Tran or someone from the bar’s ownership did not tell her about the potential exposure.
“I was in the dark about it until yesterday and I was not happy, to be honest with you,” Chua said in an interview Thursday afternoon.
Tran posted photos to Facebook on Aug. 15 showing an outdoor high school reunion he attended on Aug. 14, where many people were seen huddled together for a group photo without masks. Tran was not in the photo, and it’s unclear whether he wore a mask at the event.
On Monday night, a Facebook account belonging to The G, the Milpitas bar that Tran and Chua went to last week, commented on Tran’s post that there were now “15 confirmed positive cases of active covid” tied to the bar, adding that Tran was at the bar on Aug. 11 and 12.
“You have literally just exposed everybody at this party. Be safe! It’s not a joke!,” one of the comments read.
“You were at my business on Wednesday and Thursday. Both of the people that were serving you are positive for Covid. I tested negative on Wednesday when I saw you. Got a cough Friday and found out Saturday that I’m actually positive. I believe I contracted the virus on Monday. Also the gentlemen you were conversing with outside has tested positive today,” the comment continued. Chua said she and Tran were both inside the bar on Aug. 12.
Tran responded, “I feel normal, will get tested a couple times this week, good thing I wasn’t in the group pic. But the reality is our society is open for business and unmasked gatherings outdoors, so the risk is largely ongoing.”
The commenter from the bar’s account said there were several staff members, some vendors, a DJ, and some customers who tested positive for COVID-19, some of them vaccinated. The bar had to close for safety reasons, the comments read. The comments appear to have been deleted as of Thursday.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, which lasted approximately five hours, Tran and Chua — both masked — stood close to council colleagues and several members of the public and council when presenting groups with city proclamations, including several older adults from the Senior Center Nutrition Volunteers.
“If I had known, I would have taken some actions, I would not have exposed some people who were there to be presented some awards. I was really upset,” Chua said. She was on her way to get tested when reached by phone Thursday.
She said after learning about the exposure from Milpitas Vice Mayor Carmen Montano, who was with her at the iChina event, she checked with Tran, who told her he had been tested and got negative results.
Chua said many other Bay Area politicians were in attendance at the iChina event Wednesday, including Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, Vice Mayor Yang Shao, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor, and San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, among others, though she believes attendees were wearing masks and the event mostly took place on an outdoor patio.
“I hope I’m negative because everyone was there and nobody knew,” Chua said.
Councilwoman Karina Dominguez said in an interview she found out about the possible exposure late Tuesday night after the council meeting from a friend who texted her about Tran being at the bar.
“I was really surprised that I had not been told this. I was appalled that he continued his attendance in the chamber,” Dominguez said.
City Manager Steve McHarris said Thursday he was unaware of the possible exposure until after Tuesday’s council meeting, when he saw the social media posts.
McHarris said after finding out, he spoke with Tran on Wednesday and asked him about the situation. McHarris said Tran told him he had been tested twice before Tuesday night’s meeting, though it’s unclear exactly when, and the results were negative both times, so he feels Tran followed proper protocols.
However, McHarris said he did not know what kind of tests Tran took and didn’t have independent verification of the results. “I expect an honorably honest answer,” McHarris said.
Councilman Anthony Phan said he was anxious about the incident after learning about it through social media posts.
“I was just very worried about the potential exposure, especially to the residents, because there were a lot of seniors in the audience. We were in very close proximity,” he said.
In addition to the reunion, Tran attended multiple events in the days after being at the bar.
On Aug. 14, he posted on Facebook about having eaten at a new restaurant in Milpitas, Ichika. He said in a comment the food was “very good.”
Dominguez said Tran was at a Milpitas Rotary event at El Torito on Aug. 16.
On Aug. 14, Tran was photographed at a celebration of India’s Independence Day, hosted by The Association of Indo Americans. In photos on his Facebook page, Tran is seen on a stage with Chua, Vice Mayor Montano, and others. Tran and Montano were not wearing masks in the photo.
Chua, Dominguez, and Phan said they were vaccinated, and McHarris said Tran has said publicly that he was vaccinated.