Local Man Died After Outbreak During Ski Trip

National Brotherhood of Skiers officials Peggie Allen, Arthur Clay and Ben Finley accepting the key to the City of Sun Valley, Idaho from Mayor Peter Hendricks on March 5. Pasadena resident Nathaniel Jackson reportedly died after becoming infected by the Coronavirus during the skiing trip, which may have left at least 20 members of the group with the virus and more than 100 suffering from symptoms. Photo via Facebook.

According to an article in the New Yorker, a Pasadena resident died after becoming infected by the Coronavirus during a skiing event in Idaho that may have left at least 20 members of the group with the virus and more than 100 suffering from symptoms.

Nathaniel Jackson died after attending the annual Black Summit of the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) in Ketchum, Idaho and Sun Valley — both in Blaine County. Jackson was among 700 members of the group that attended the event.

According to the article, Charles Jackson of Los Angeles, who shared a room with Nathaniel during the event, also died. It is not known if the two men were related.

Pasadena Now has reached out to local authorities to confirm that Nathaniel Jackson is one of the two local residents that have died of the virus.

Locally, 58 people have been infected with the virus as of Friday.

The NBS is the largest African-American ski and snowboard association in the world.

One week after the event, at least 126 members of NBS were experiencing symptoms associated with the coronavirus. So far 20 have tested positive and eight were hospitalized, including three in intensive-care units. It is not known how many members of the group have been tested.

Blaine County has the highest infection rates in the country. New York City has the most cases in the United States, with around 60,000 people testing positive and 1,867 dead as of April 3. The city is home to 8.6 million people – meaning it has about 60 cases per 10,000 residents.

In comparison, Blaine County has just 22,000 residents and has more than 400 confirmed cases as of Friday morning – with 141 people testing positive for every 10,000 residents, according to one newspaper.

According to one article, just before Charles Jackson died he tested negative, meaning his body did defeat the virus, but he died due to complications caused by the virus.

On March 30th, DJ Jazzy Jeff, once part of a popular duo with Will Smith, announced that he was suffering from pneumonia and associated coronavirus symptoms. The music producer performed at the event and later announced on social media he has lost his sense of smell and taste.

“Please take this seriously,” he wrote. “It doesn’t matter who you are … what you do or what your plans are. Stay safe.”