What’s happening with the New York State Fair?
On Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said you can’t open an attraction in a region that could pull in a crowd from around the state. That would have unintended consequences.
“It’s possible that you open something in Syracuse or you open something in the North Country where you now see license plates coming in from Connecticut, New Jersey, people from downstate all coming to that area because they’ve been locked down and they’re looking for an activity. So that’s something that we have to pay attention to,” Cuomo said.
On Monday, he doubled-down on that concept.
“We can’t open an attraction that might bring many people from outside the region and then overwhelm people in that region. You have a lot of pent-up demand and we have seen this before where when we are not coordinated, we have New York people going to Connecticut because Connecticut has parks or waterside access that’s open,” he said. “We don’t want to create a situation where people flood an area because they are looking for something to do.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the New York State Fair says they’re still on. At least for the time being.
Dave Bullard, a spokesperson for the fairgrounds, told CNYCentral that work is happening to make the 2020 Fair happen.
“Preparations are underway for this year’s Fair as well as planning for various contingencies. We are following all relevant guidance and will adjust as necessary. Fairgrounds events beyond May 31 will be decided once guidance for that time period is received,” he said.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon told CNYCentral that it’s a tough spot to be in, but noted that he’s hopeful that if the state continues to fight COVID-19 that the Fair will be possible.
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