The Minnesota State Fair now less than three weeks away and officials continue to monitor the spread of the COVID delta varient and how it may affect the return of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
"Almost anything is possible," said state fair general manager Jerry Hammer, appearing on WCCO with Paul Douglas.
That includes the possibility of requiring masks for anyone visiting indoor exhibits when the fair opens Aug. 26.
"As long as we have a little wiggle room, a little bit of time, we're going to wait on that," said Hammer, who notes that, for now, there is one place on the historic fairgrounds were masks must be worn.
"Regions Hospital has a medical facility on the fairgrounds," he said. "Like any medical facility, you'll need to wear 'em."
Last year's cancelation of the state fair came after a record 2,126,551 people made their way through the turnstiles in 2019.
Numbers like that means it would be really difficult to socially distance on the fairgrounds, leading Hammer and others to talk about limiting the number of people allowed inside.
"We've looked at that," he said. "That remains a possibility, the closer we get to the date it makes it a little more difficult to implement."
Hammer said fair-goers can help out by getting vaccinated before heading to the fairgrounds.