All Ohio Fairs Limited To Junior Fair Events

COLUMBUS, OH — All fairs in Ohio will be converted to junior fairs, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday.

This means there will be no grandstands, games or rides at fairs. Fairs will consist only of livestock competitions and other 4-H and FFA competitions for kids and teens, DeWine said. The mandate will apply to all fairs beginning July 31 and later.

"It has become increasingly clear that we cannot have a regular, safe fair in the Ohio summer of 2020. We simply cannot do that," the governor said.

DeWine said many fairs were not enforcing mask mandates or social distancing orders. The governor said he saw images of those fairs on social media and in newspapers. The inability of fairs to follow health and safety orders influenced DeWine's decision.

"It's a real shame," DeWine said.

One fair run in Ohio was connected to 15 positive COVID-19 cases and other fairs have been linked to the virus' spread, DeWine said. He could not allow these events to further spread the virus, the governor said.

"Everything we do is going to determine what happens as we move forward. It's going to determine what our fall is like, whether our kids go back to school and how they go back to school. It's going to determine whether we can continue to grow the economy," DeWine said.