Attendees should expect fair to ‘be different this year’

All across Montana, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, county officials have chosen either to cancel or greatly scale back their annual county fairs in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus.

And as of Wednesday afternoon, although the Northwest Montana Fair is still scheduled to occur in August, officials say they are working diligently to make sure this year’s fair is safe.

Attendees should expect this year’s event, which includes a large concert performance by country music artist Chris Janson and three nights of PRCA rodeo action, to “be different this year,” according to Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell.

Over the past several months Campbell and others have been working with the Flathead City-County Health Department on how to best implement various social distancing and sanitation recommendations set forth by health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said this “has been a back-and-forth and yes-and-no process” as he and others submit ideas and plans to the department for their review.

“We’ve had to go back and tweak things here and there and change other plans entirely. We are monitoring this daily and will most likely be making changes all the way up until the day before the fair happens,” Campbell said.

According to current plans, capacity at the grandstands where spectators would go for the concert, rodeo and other events, will be decreased by an estimated 25% compared to years past. Campbell said with that lower capacity, people “should be able to socially distance in the stands.”

As for the actual fairgrounds outside of the grandstand area, Campbell said staff will be closely monitoring congested areas such as bathroom and carnival lines to make sure social distancing is occurring. But, he said, “if at any point we see that our planning is not working, we will temporarily shut the gates until we can get that back under control.” If this happens, Campbell said additional people will only be let in as others leave.

In addition, Campbell said while the carnival normally boasts at least 30 different attractions, this year they are anticipating less than 20 rides so they can be appropriately spread out. As for sanitation practices, he said staff are still deciding on the best method possible, but one option may include shutting down the rides every 30 minutes so rails and seats can be wiped down.

“It’s important to understand that this is subject to change,” Campbell emphasized. “We have been working closely with health officials since this all started and just like how information about the virus changes regularly, we plan on being flexible with our plans and making adjustments when necessary.”

AT THIS time, the fair is scheduled to take place Aug. 19-23 while Montana is still in Phase Two of Gov. Steve Bullock’s three-phase plan for reopening the state. Under Phase Two, which went into effect June 1, people are to “avoid gatherings in groups of more than 50 people in circumstances that do not readily allow for appropriate physical distancing.” In addition, groups larger than 50 people should be canceled “unless physical distancing can be maintained,” but if someone is planning an event with more than 50 people “you should consult with your local public health office on a plan to implement adequate social distancing.”

Therefore, in the case of sizable gatherings such as the fair, it is largely up to the organizers to work with local health officials and others on how their event can safely take place. And although organizers may choose to cancel their event, as has been the case for many festivals and gatherings throughout the Flathead Valley and elsewhere, Flathead County Public Health Officer Hillary Hanson has the authority to cancel the event all together, should she see reason to do so, according to Montana law.

Hanson confirmed fair officials have been in close contact with the health department regarding the event and they have been submitting social distancing and sanitation plans for each section and event associated with the fair.

In an email, Hanson said the health department weighs multiple factors before deciding to cancel or alter an event.

“We are looking at a few things including: ability of the health-care system to manage the hospitalizations, availability of testing, availability of PPE and ability to contact trace/monitor,” Hanson wrote. “In addition, we are looking at where outbreaks are occurring to see if there are issues we need to consider such as large events, specific locations, etc.”

As for hospitalization rates, state data showed that as of Wednesday afternoon, there are 37 “active hospitalizations” statewide. And on Tuesday, Doug Nelson, chief medical officer for Kalispell Regional Healthcare, confirmed local hospitalizations have been “relatively low even though cases have risen.” He also confirmed that some of those hospitalizations — although an exact number was not provided — included patients from other counties outside of Flathead.

The hospital system is equipped with 12 intensive-care unit beds in a dedicated COVID-19 unit and another 18 standard intensive-care-unit beds that could be used, if needed.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com