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Erie County Fair organizers present plan to state and county health departments, await guidance

Erie County Fair cancelled this year due to pandemic
Posted at 5:00 AM, May 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-11 05:00:16-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County Fair organizers have presented their plan to the state and county health departments as they await guidance on this year's fair.

Following the announcement by Governor Cuomo that the New York State Fair would return in August after being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, county fair officials have been waiting for guidance from the state.

Organizers say they're working with a company called Epistemix to see if the fair can be held safely. According to Epistemix, their data aims to predict future viral trends and shows the Erie County Fair can be held safely at capacity which is roughly one million people over 10 days.

The Erie County Agricultural Society will not require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for admittance into the fair although it's unclear at this point what the state may decide.

The start of the fair is currently around 90 days away on August 11. Officials say as soon as guidance is issued by the state a board meeting will be held to create a plan and then the plan will be released to the public.

According to fair officials, Epistemix has worked with several large events, specifically in Florida, with a 90% accuracy rating.