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The latest news about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in Montana.

Northwest Montana State Fair Moving Forward Despite COVID-19 Concerns

Blurred ferris wheel and lights from a fair.
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Organizers of the Northwest Montana State Fair and Rodeo voted Thursday to hold the five-day event in August despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases statewide. The fair attracted about 15,000 people per day in 2019.

Early 80,000 people attended the fair and rodeo last year, which is run by Flathead County. Events with 50 or more people are allowed under phase two of the state’s reopening plan if social distancing is possible.

Fair official Mark Campbell says social distancing and a strong recommendation for masks will be in place this year, though he says there will be no hard limit on the number of fairgoers allowed in at one time.

Campbell says that number will be dependent on events and staff’s ability to sanitize things like rides and tables. He says gates could close if social distancing becomes an issue as well.

The county says it solicited input from the health department and others in making its decision to hold the fair, which runs Aug 19 through the 23. The decision comes as the state recorded two consecutive days of record increases of new COVID-19 cases.

Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
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