Mostly unmasked crowds pack into Missouri State Fair

SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) – Mostly unmasked crowds packed into the Missouri State Fair shoulder-to-shoulder this week as it opened in Sedalia amid soaring numbers of new COVID-19 infections.

Fair officials decided in the spring to bring back the full event after replacing it with a much smaller youth livestock show in 2020 because of coronavirus concerns.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that fair officials estimate up to 340,000 attendees will attend the event before it closes Aug. 22.

And, unlike the state fair in neighboring Illinois, masks are optional.