CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — The 2021 Cabarrus County Fair was canceled Thursday due to rising cases of COVID-19 and low vaccination rates across the county, officials said.
The decision to cancel the fair, which was scheduled to run from Sept. 10-18, was made with public health and emergency management officials. This is the second cancellation since the fair began in 1953. In addition to canceling the fair, Cabarrus County officials have reinstituted mask requirements for staff and visitors at all county facilities.
"It's extremely disappointing to know another year will go by without the fair, especially since there was a pathway to normalcy through vaccination," Board of Commissioners Chair Steve Morris said. "I hope the community understands the risk of holding a fair under these conditions."
The county planned to have additional COVID-19 safety measures at this year's fair, including masks, but organizers said the event could lead to severe and unnecessary consequences that could affect the entire region.
Morris said if the county increases vaccinations, "we'll find our way back to life as we knew it."
The Cabarrus Health Alliance said 50.6% of eligible people in Cabarrus County are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The CHA issued a public health advisory last month recommending everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors.
“We are as disappointed as everyone else with another long-standing tradition being canceled in Cabarrus County,” CHA Public Health Director Dr. Bonnie Coyle said. “With the exponential growth in cases, Delta’s higher infection rate and the strain on our hospital, I agree that this is the right decision. While we have such high transmission of this virus, I urge all Cabarrus County residents to get vaccinated if you are eligible, wear a mask when in public settings and unable to socially distance, and stay home when sick.”
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