Rochester Downtown Alliance asking attendees to mask up at Thursdays Downtown

Note: The August 26 Thursdays Downtown has been canceled due to weather.

In response to new guidance from state and federal health officials, organizers of the popular Thursdays Downtown series says they will be “strongly recommending” face masks be worn at upcoming events.

The Rochester Downtown Alliance issued the recommendation on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Minnesota Department of Health officials advised face coverings be worn in crowded outdoor spaces, citing evidence that the delta variant can be transmitted in packed outdoor settings. The CDC has also put out guidance encouraging people to “consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.”

“These are not easy decisions,” said RDA Executive Director Holly Masek. “We have three final weeks of Thursdays Downtown for our community to come together for this tradition and continue to support the participating small business community as they recover from a very challenging year.”

Additional precautions being taken by the RDA include sanitizing between customers; encouraging all attendees to respect physical distancing; and asking vulnerable individuals, including those unvaccinated and immunocompromised, to consider not attending Thursdays Downtown or attending between 2 and 4 p.m. when crowds are not as large.

“Our understanding is that under current conditions, this outdoor event can be produced and attended with minimized risk, providing the recommended precautions are followed,” said Masek. “We need everyone’s cooperation in keeping our community safe and thank everyone in advance for observing these Covid-19 recommendations.”

The recommendation from the RDA — which also impacts the final Movies in the Park installment on Saturday — comes amid worries about Covid-19 transmission at another large event, the State Fair, which begins Thursday. About 150 vendors have opted to skip the event, many of them citing concerns about the spread of the delta variant. State Fair organizers are encouraging, but not requiring, attendees to wear face coverings.

Late Tuesday, Rochester Mayor Kim Norton raised eyebrows with a tweet suggesting the State Fair be canceled to “spare us the spread” of Covid. The mayor, however, did not address local events like Thursdays Downtown.

Currently, Olmsted County meets the criteria of an area of high transmission, according to the CDC. The county recorded 380 new cases in the past week, a 20 percent jump from the previous seven-day period. As of Monday, new hospitalizations for the same period were at 43.

Looking ahead, the RDA says it will continue to consult Olmsted County Public Health on a weekly basis regarding suggested guidelines.

The Thursdays Downtown series, which brings thousands of people downtown each week, runs through September 9.

Cover photo courtesy the RDA