{"id":62145,"date":"2021-06-30T10:30:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T16:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=62145"},"modified":"2021-06-30T10:30:40","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T16:30:40","slug":"calgary-stampede-2021-the-cowboys-are-coming-but-theyll-be-wearing-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2021\/06\/30\/calgary-stampede-2021-the-cowboys-are-coming-but-theyll-be-wearing-masks\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary Stampede 2021: The Cowboys are coming, but they\u2019ll be wearing masks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Calgary Stampede North Entrance:<\/strong> The North entrance gate of Calgary Stampede park is taken on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. After its cancellation in 2020, the 2021 Stampede will return for ten days from July 9 to 18. (Photo by Ngoc Man Loi\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I<\/span>t\u2019s official. The Calgary Stampede has been approved for this summer.<\/p>\n

A<\/span>fter cancellation in April, 2020, this year\u2019s event<\/a> will return for ten days from July 9 to 18.<\/p>\n

The Calgary Stampede plans to release a safety plan that includes masks for all front-line staffs and volunteers, more sanitization stations, and capacity limits at all venues.<\/p>\n

On June 14, 2021, the Calgary Stampede held a press conference to address safety concerns for the 2021 Stampede.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will only host a safe Stampede,\u201d said Steve McDonough, president and chairman of the Stampede Board. \u201cThe safety of our guests, competitors, and our community is our absolute priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDonough says that he is aware the concerns around this year\u2019s event, so the 2021 Stampede will look different from the past and \u201cwill reflect concerns for safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can pull this off safely and responsibly,\u201d said Dr. Jia Hu, a public health physician and advisor to the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n

Outdoor events, reduced capacity, implementing masks, proof of vaccination and rapid test are the main things that Hu believes would make the event safe.<\/p>\n

Interim Calgary Stampede CEO Dana Peers says there will be a focus on testing for workers, masking and cleaning protocols, reduced lineups, limited capacity at venues and sanitization stations.<\/p>\n

Attendees will be \u201cencouraged\u201d to wear masks and have to follow the guidance of Alberta Health<\/a> and the City of Calgary<\/a> regarding mandatory masks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage you to plan in advance, per-purchase your admission and find those experiences that you enjoy and fit your comfort level,\u201d said Peers.<\/p>\n

Most Calgarians think the Stampede will be good for businesses and the economy but they still have concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best idea, if we are fully vaccinated,\u201d said Reem Atwani, a business student enrolled at Mount Royal University. \u201cIf not, I feel like it\u2019ll spread more.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Chau Pham, a full-time mom of a two-year-old, disagrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a health perspective, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s safe yet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She thinks it\u2019s better to require attendees to get vaccinated because it might eliminate the risk of another wave.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not be opposed to it,\u201d said Nipuna Premachandra, a third-year student at the University of Calgary.<\/p>\n

He worries that rising cases could potentially be a problem. But if more people get vaccinated, it would be \u201cokay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

According to Peers, there could be a vaccination site on the grounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to work with the provincial authorities and Alberta Health was certainly open to having vaccinations,\u201d said Peers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The organization is still considering the idea of proof of vaccination or rapid testing at certain venues.<\/p>\n

Pham thinks the organization should be careful when checking vaccination records.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can\u2019t check whether the vaccination paper is valid, all the problems will go back as in India,\u201d said Pham.<\/p>\n

Some Calgarians think it\u2019s too soon for the return of the Stampede.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t think it\u2019s safe to open it this year,\u201d said Atwani. \u201cBut maybe next year, definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Stampede has no specific plan yet, beyond the assurance that it is running. Decisions will be made in response to evolving safety conditions and recommendations in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s official. The Calgary Stampede has been approved for this summer. [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":62146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S3 Calgary Stampede ","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[40,110,1532,1667,1666,1542],"class_list":{"0":"post-62145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-city","8":"category-news","9":"tag-alberta","10":"tag-calgary","11":"tag-covid-19","12":"tag-cowboy","13":"tag-stampede-2021","14":"tag-summer"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62145"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62195,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62145\/revisions\/62195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}