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2020 State Fair of Virginia canceled due to pandemic

By The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. — The State Fair of Virginia has been canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Thursday that the fair’s organizers were unable to find a way to pull it off safely.

Pam Wiley, director of communications for the Virginia Farm Bureau, said staff spent months trying to figure out ways to make the fair work within state health guidelines.

Wiley said the last time the fair was canceled was during World War II. Before that it was during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918.

More than 245,000 people attended the fair last year.

Md. vaccine policy ‘will be led by science’: New law decouples guidance from federal agencies

By Neal Augenstein
As of July 1, Maryland will determine which vaccines should be administered, severing its reliance on federal agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Vax Act, signed Tuesday by Gov. Wes Moore, authorizes Maryland's health secretary to set recommendations for immunizations, screenings and preventive services. It also requires insurance companies to cover vaccines endorsed by the state.
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