Cuomo says this year’s State Fair only happens if all of New York state reopens

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The fate of the New York State Fair is contingent upon the entire state of New York being open for business, as well as coordination with neighboring states.

“Can you open the State Fair unless the entire state is at a point where it’s open? I don’t believe so,” Gov Andrew Cuomo said during his Tuesday appearance in Syracuse. Cuomo held his daily coronavirus briefing at Upstate Medical University.

As the governor answered questions from reporters, he said having the entire state open would mean having parks, beaches, and water attractions open as well.

“Breaks my heart, but [State Fair officials] can’t [open] unless it’s done statewide and unless it’s done, not just statewide, but with our neighboring states,” Cuomo said.

Without New York and neighboring states New Jersey and Connecticut all having reopened, Cuomo fears “a massive infusion of people from everywhere” coming to the State Fairgrounds in Geddes.

“You’d have the highest attendance we ever had, that I can guarantee you,” Cuomo quipped about a prospective 2020 State Fair. “But it wouldn’t be good. Everything is about reducing density.”

Onondaga County reaction

Cuomo’s logic “makes sense,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said in answering a reporter’s question during his coronavirus briefing later on Tuesday at the Oncenter.

“If New York City and Long Island, in late August, are not really open… it would be very difficult to have a [State] Fair. I understand the governor’s perspective,” said McMahon. “It’s the State Fair. It’s the governor’s campus, a state campus … Certainly, if New York City is in position where [it’s] still shut down four months from now, that will mean this virus is very prevalent in New York State still, and that the Fair would be pretty risky.”

On Monday, the Onondaga County Executive said he’s “hopeful” that the State Fair will proceed as normal, and on Tuesday he said that he is still optimistic it can happen.