Covid-19 protocols in place for Georgia National Fair

Preparations are underway at the Georgia National Fairgrounds ahead of opening day Thursday.

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Preparations are underway at the Georgia National Fairgrounds ahead of opening day Thursday.

The fair has implemented Covid-19 safety measures to keep fair goers safe.

If you plan on heading to the fairgrounds, fair officials say masks will be recommended.

“Almost all of the vendors will have hand sanitizing stations around the grounds at their booths,” Concessions by Cox owner Terri Cox Hickey said. “The Georgia National Fairgrounds has put up hand sanitizers on all the buildings.”

According to Hickey, the fair being back in town is amazing, but they are also ensuring everyone feels safe. Some concession stands will also have plexiglass to keep both workers and fair goers safe. For those who haven’t been vaccinated, the fair is giving you the opportunity. The health department will be at the McGill Market Place on Monday, October 11.

Covid-19 protocols aren’t the only new safety measures put in place. There’s also a new youth policy that will take effect each day of the fair after 5 p.m.

“Any youth that’s 16 and under will need a legal guardian to enter the fairgrounds,” the fairgrounds’ Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Maggie Dimes said. “I do want to be clear that that legal guardian, it can be one per group of teens, so it’s not one teen to one guardian.”

Vendor Mama Jane Harris says she’s been going to the fair for 15 years and hopes e people will feel safe with all of the new safety measures in place this year.

“We make sure that we sanitize our counters a whole lot more than we normally did,” she said.”We also keep the tables more sanitized. There’s somebody dedicated to doing nothing but washing tables.”

Fair officials want the community to come out and focus on having fun. The fair starts October 7th and goes through the 17th.