South Texas State Fair canceled by disaster declaration

Fair goers make their way into the entry on the opening night of the YMBL South Texas State Fair at Ford Park. Photo taken Thursday, March 21, 2019 Kim Brent/The Enterprise Fair goers make their way into the entry on the opening night of the YMBL South Texas State Fair at Ford Park. Photo taken Thursday, March 21, 2019 Kim Brent/The Enterprise Photo: Kim Brent / The Enterprise Photo: Kim Brent / The Enterprise Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close South Texas State Fair canceled by disaster declaration 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The YMBL South Texas State Fair, one of the area’s biggest attractions, fell victim to the coronavirus Friday after Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick announced a disaster declaration related to the burgeoning public health emergency.

Acting on potential health concerns raised by a couple who recently returned to the county from a cruise that docked in Miami and may have caused them to come in contact with someone who later tested positive for the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus, Branick quickly pursued the declaration.

Later in the day, the Jefferson County Mobile Medical Unit visited the two people who were “of concern.” One didn’t test positive for anything and the other tested positive for a strain of the flu, Branick said, adding that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not test an individual for coronavirus if they test positive for this strain of the flu.

Still, by that time, Branick had had conversations with state officials, the Department of State Health Services and other members of the medical community. He said he felt confident in moving forward with a disaster declaration, despite the lack of confirmed coronavirus cases in Jefferson County.

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Also on Friday, Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens barred visitors from the county correctional facility until further notice.

Branick’s emergency order canceled plans for the fair, an annual event that boasts of 300,000 attendees over 11 days. It had been scheduled for March 26 through April 5.

But the Nederland Heritage Festival scheduled to wrap up this weekend was allowed to continue after a brief shutdown over confusion about the wording in Branick’s order.

The emergency declaration applies to event that is sponsored or permitted by Jefferson County at any public facility. It prohibits any such event that attracts more than 200 people and could include any population with compromised health conditions. It also calls for nursing homes and senior living centers to limit public visitation.

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Through the weekend, the order applies only to unincorporated parts of Jefferson County. The Heritage Festival takes place within the Nederland city limits.

Branick said he wanted to give mayors time to issue their own emergency declarations if they so choose. For cities that do not, Branick’s declaration will apply to the entire county starting Monday afternoon.

“It is what it is, we can’t control it,” State Fair chairman Marc Richardson said prior to the formal announcement, adding that the board and other representatives spent more than two hours Thursday evening trying to determine the best course of action.

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Richardson could not be reached for comment after the announcement about the fate of livestock and other fair staples.

“The fair is what makes the money that pays for all of our other projects,” he said. “It basically will mean we don’t have fresh funding. We have reserves to take care of it and run through the next year, but it just makes it hard.”

Also on Friday, President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for the nation.

Such an order officially puts into effect the Stafford Act, which provides federal funding for government bodies and individuals who experience financial hardship as a result of the virus, Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie said at a roundtable in his city Friday afternoon. It’s unclear if the fair would be eligible for this funding to cover loses as a result of the cancellation.

This is the second time in the fair’s 78-year history that it was canceled. The other instance was the result of a hurricane that prompted the fair to move from the fall to the spring.

The emergency order signed Friday will remain in effect for 30 days “and may be extended as needed.”

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

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