(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair opens Thursday, after being cancelled last year by COVID-19, and health officials are concerned crowded exhibit halls could help spread the highly-contagious delta variant. Fair manager and CEO Gary Slater says dozens of sanitizing stations were added to the fairgrounds. He says numbers in buildings will not be limited, but masks will be recommended for everyone indoors, according to CDC guidelines.

“If you’re unvaccinated and you need to wear your mask, you certainly can,” Slater says. “They’re not required but certainly encouraged. Of course, vaccinated folks, it’s kind of up to them if they choose to wear a mask or not.” Hy-Vee will hold a free coronavirus vaccination clinic throughout the fair near the main gates. Polk County Health Department spokesperson Nola Aigner Davis says if people don’t wear masks at the fair, the virus could spread quickly among tight crowds.

“We want our community to make smart decisions because we have seen this throughout the pandemic, whenever there is a holiday, whenever there’s a large event, we see cases,” she says. Aigner Davis says masks are key, but suggests people consider spending less time at the fair or go at times that aren’t as busy to help limit the potential spread of the virus. The 11-day Iowa State Fair is the biggest event of the year in Iowa, often drawing more than 100,000 visitors per day.

(By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)