CINCINNATI — The Hamilton County Fair was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year, the fair is on, but a rise in COVID-19 cases in Hamilton County remains a concern.
What You Need To Know
- COVID-19 cases are rising in Hamilton County
- The seven-day average has risen to 170 on Aug. 11 from 15 on July 1
- The Hamilton County Fair is returning with increased COVID-19 protocols
- Organizers are excited for guests, but want to keep them safe
Hamilton County Fair Assistant General Manager David Cook prepped for the fair by making the rounds at the fairgrounds, placing signage up indoors in advance of the fair.
“COVID numbers unfortunately going the wrong direction,” Cook said. “We’re just basically trying to get ahead of the game so we can hopefully not go back to the way we were last year.”
Cook said the Hamilton County Fair will go on as planned, but the staff is working to increase sanitation options for guests — including additional hand washing stations — making sure they will know the precautions as they come in.
“The rides get sanitized at every stop and sanitized every few minutes,” Cook said. “Grand stands are open at full capacity right now, but if we see problems where it’s getting a lot of people too close together, we’ll step in and move some people around.”
Masks will be required indoors, but not outdoors. However, with coronavirus cases rising in Hamilton County, Hamilton County Public Health officials warn people should be cautious.
“Here in Hamilton County over the last couple weeks, we have seen a significant rise in the number of cases, hospitalizations as well as intensive care unit admissions,” Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said. “For this reason, on the Centers for Disease Control map we are listed as a county with high transmission.”
On July 1, the seven-day case average was 15 cases per day, but on Aug. 11, that number had risen to 170 cases per day. That is why Kesterman said residents should take the virus more seriously.
“I think, unfortunately for us, we were finished with the pandemic but it’s not finished with us,” Kesterman said. “We’re continuing to have to make adjustments to make sure we can finish up and make what we need to have happen to keep us safe.”
Fair officials expect patrons to come back excited to celebrate a yearly tradition — visiting the petting zoo, riding the rides and enjoying the food. However, Cook wants everyone to do so safely, and is confident they can.
“I think we’re on top of our game,” Cook said. “We have one of the best PPE plans around.”
The Hamilton County Fair is Aug. 12-15 and costs $10 for admission. For more information on the Hamilton County Fair visit the website.
