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South Florida Fair will be held early next year

Event will be held between Jan. 15-31
Posted at 9:09 PM, Nov 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-23 23:32:27-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It's official, the South Florida Fair will be held early next year.

"Our community needs us, they want it," Fair President Victoria Chouris said.

Their theme is "An Earthly A-Fair" emphasizing the importance of Earth Day.

"People are anxious to have something to do with their families," she said.

Chouris said she met with county officials and got their permission, and even met with the health department.

"We believe that we can do the South Florida Fair safely," she said.

We've lived through this pandemic since March and at the moment the numbers have spiked throughout the country. So, the question is, is it really safe for the fair to be held?

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Kleper De Almeida says yes, if it's done right.

"I'm sure that they would ask people to take the necessary measures of wearing a mask, of keeping their distance, watching their distance, and washing their hands, I think it could go on," he said.

He says his big concern is an increase in infections because of the holidays.

"In the middle of December, we're going to diagnose a lot of these patients that were exposed during Thanksgiving," he said.

But will people show up?

"I would not, and the main reason is because I'm around my parents a lot and they're at that risk age," Warren Robbins said.

Williams Sullivan doesn't feel the same.

"I would go because it's America and its freedom. If you want to go and you feel comfortable to go, go out and have a good time. And if you're at risk and you're nervous about getting Corona don't go," he said.

Chouris said the fair mandated health guidelines like wearing a mask at all times, social distancing and folks must wash their hands regularly.

One big difference you will see if you choose to go to the fair is that you won't see the annual Mardi Gras parade. Chouris said they couldn't figure out how to keep everyone socially distanced so they scrapped it.