Iowa State Fair attendees scoping out fried food choices at the annual fair. | Image Source: flickr.com - Credit: Phil Roeder
Iowa State Fair attendees scoping out fried food choices at the annual fair. | Image Source: flickr.com - Credit: Phil Roeder
The Iowa State Fair is a safe haven for merrymaking, amusement rides and fried-you-name-it-on-a-stick. But experts worry that this year's state fair in Polk County will create a dangerous uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa State Fair is the biggest annual event in the state and brings 1 million people together from around the world.
“The CDC raised the level of community transmission in Polk County today to substantial. Masks were already recommended in nearby counties including Dallas, Story and Jasper. This map from the Centers for Disease Control shows more than half of the state has substantial or high transmission rates of COVID-19," Lauren Johnson reported in KCCI video.
Although the State Fair has updated its safety guidelines, they do not require maks or a building capacity limit, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
“Anytime we see a large congregation of people, especially with the mixed vaccination status, we’re going to see high risk for transmission and increases in transmission,” Dr. Megan Srinivas said, ABC News reported. Srinivas is an Iowa-based infectious disease physician.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has no intention of mandating vaccines or masks, KCCI reported.
"I'm not going to mandate it," Reynolds said. "I don't believe in that. I think we've seen great numbers from a voluntary perspective. ... We're moving in the right direction."
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