Covid: Funfair potential superspreader event, health boss warns

Showmen and women have brought their rides and stalls to the city for more than 700 years

One of Europe's largest travelling funfairs will be a potential superspreader event when it comes to the UK, a health boss has warned.

Crowds are expected to hit Hull Fair when it returns to the city next month after it was cancelled last year.

Local public health director Andy Kingdom said he was "really worried" by the risk of people "squashed together" passing on the virus.

Hull currently has England's third-highest infection rate.

Mr Kingdom, who works for East Riding District Council, which borders Hull, said going to large-scale events without being vaccinated would be "like driving without a seat belt".

"And the roads are still busy, coronavirus-wise," he said.

More than 800,000 people attended the fair when it was last held in 2019, and bigger numbers are expected this year.

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While showmen would "do their best" to make it safe, Mr Kingdom said he remained worried.

"There will be large numbers of people being squashed together in close quarters, particularly at pinch points in the fairground," he said.

"It's not just the fair itself. There'll be people meeting in groups in pubs and bars before and afterwards and taking coronavirus with them if they've caught it."

Mr Kingdom urged anyone attending to get tested for coronavirus before and after the fair.

More visitors than normal are expected to attend this year's fair

Hull City Council said "comprehensive and robust planning" for the fair was ongoing and "support from the public health team around the safest way to proceed is an integral part of this".

It added that additional precautions would also be in place, including recommending all staff wear face masks and had been double vaccinated.

From 27 September the authority will also run a testing centre exclusively for staff working at the fair.

At 523 cases per 100,000 of population, infections in the area remain at their highest since January, despite a weekly drop.

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Mr Kingdom said infection levels were expected to stay high throughout Autumn while hospitals remained under pressure, school pupils returned and more people mixed indoors.

About 72 beds at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital are currently occupied by coronavirus patients as the NHS prepares for a "tough winter", he said.

Hull Fair is probably the city's oldest tradition, dating back more than 700 years.

In medieval times it resembled a market, with stallholders flocking to the city to sell their wares.

Over time its purpose changed to entertainment and, according to Visit Hull, it now boasts more than 250 rides and dozens of other attractions.

This year's fair will be held from 8 to 16 October.