Coronavirus Concerns Spur Safety Plan At Dade Youth Fair
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Preparations are underway for Miami-Dade's annual The Youth Fair and a major concern this year is the coronavirus.
On Thursday morning, fair officials met to discuss what precautions are being taken. This is not the first time they've had to deal with a public health concern.
"We've been dealing with something like COVID-19 for years, it's been H1N1, the annual flu, and the avian flu," said Eddie Cora, president of the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition.
Cora said they'll follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines and have a safety plan that will help prevent the potential spread of the virus.
One of the big things will be handwashing.
"We've added sanitation areas at the front gate and three handwashing stations in the kiddie land," he said. "We're adding 51 additional sinks to make sure anywhere the guest goes they can wash their hands."
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In fact, there will be more than 600 areas to wash or sanitize across the fairgrounds. From the rides, the petting zoo, concessions, and the front gate to door handles, all potential touchpoints will get a scrub down every night after the last guest leaves.
Cora said they never considered shutting the event down unlike other mass gatherings, including the Ultra Music Festival, which are expected to be postponed over coronavirus fears. He added that while this isn't an international event and the people who go to the fair tend to be locals, they're still being cautious.
"This is the next virus that unfortunately we have to face. I think if the community does what they've done in the past and we do what we've done in the past, I think we're going to have a very successful fair and the community is going to be very safe," said Cora.
The Youth Fair, which draws around 600-thousand people every year, opens March 12th and runs through April 5th.
