South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
TAKING PRECAUTIONS
The Las Olas Art Fair in Fort Lauderdale Florida drew a crowd of mostly masked guests Saturday. The art fair has taken extra safety precautions this year due to COVID-19. All attendees are asked to wear a mask upon entering the festival, traffic flows in one direction, and social distancing is required between artists and guests.
By Wayne K. Roustan
The thousands of art lovers attending the 33rd annual Las Olas Art Fair on Saturday diligently followed masking and distancing protocols to prevent the gather from becoming a COVID-19 superspreader event.
Those who were not wearing masks quickly put them on when reminded, said Customs and Border Protection Explorer Brianna Ortega, who was helping enforce health and safety rules.
“Some people just forget, but [wearing a mask] is becoming a habit,” said Ortega, as she turned to catch Anna Stemer walking by without her face covered.
“I felt bad,” Stemer laughed. “I was taking advantage of the free coffee [and] and having one last sip before throwing it out and my mask was down for a second. I felt busted, but she was nice about it.”
Earlier in the week, a group of doctors had raised concerns that the outdoor art festival would risk spreading the coronavirus and they asked local government officials to cancel the show.
The city and county did not. That was a relief for people such as artist Rick Lowe.
“Many of us have not had any income in the last six or seven months,” he said. “It’s been a hardship on artists like you can’t imagine.”
C OV I D concerns canceled other large public events, including the 2020 Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale and December’s Fort Lauderdale Winterfest Boat Parade.
The a n n u a l Fo r t Lauderdale International Boat Show is still set to kick off later this month and the Fort Lauderdale Air Show, is scheduled to take off in November.
The art fair has procedures in place designed to keep the public safe.
There are limited access points. Foot traffic is one way in each direction, east and west.
Everyone must wear a mask inside the ropedoff areas of Las Olas. Artist tents must be 6 feet apart. Only two people are allowed in a tent at a time unless they are part of the same group. And there are other rules.
There also are tents with hand sanitizers, portable sinks, and extra masks at the ready.
The success of this weekend event may prove others can be held if the same precautions are taken.
For festival-goer Fabiola Excellence, the decision is simple.
“If I feel uncomfortable, I just won’t go,” she said.
Wayne K. Roustan can be reached at wkroustan@ sunsentinel.com or 561379-6119 or on Twitter @ WayneRoustan