69 COVID-19 cases linked to Minnesota State Fair so far, MDH says

Minnesota State Fair marks 2021 a success despite lower attendance

The Minnesota State Fair marked 2021 a success despite lower attendance due to COVID concerns and a few rainy days.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - As of Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health says it has linked 69 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Minnesota State Fair.

The health department says these 69 patients reported attending the fair during the period they were most likely exposed and infected.

MDH is urging people who visited the fair to get tested between three to five days after a large gathering. They also offered the following reminders for any individual that goes to any large gathering:

When people gather, transmission happens
The same activities that were risky before are still risky, but less risky if vaccinated.
The more virus you are exposed to and the longer your exposure lasts, the greater the risk of infection. For example, in a crowded setting with poor ventilation where you are exposed to an infectious person for a prolonged period of time the likelihood increases that you will get infected. Vaccines can dramatically reduce the risk, but it’s best to use a layered prevention approach (vaccination plus masking plus social distancing, etc.) in settings (both indoors and outdoors) where you are likely to have significant exposure.

The fair saw its lowest attendance in decades this year as concerns over the delta variant kept some people at home. Still, more than 1.3 million people came through the gates during the 12-day festival.