Mayor Ginny Dickey announced today that the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts and the Fountain Hills Music Festival will be going forward in April as planned. Factors for this decision include the continued downward trend in Maricopa County's coronavirus infection rates, the organizations’ covid mitigation plans, high percentage of vaccinations in Fountain Hills and the Valley as well and the increasing hospital bed capacity in the region.
"We have followed the guidance from Governor Ducey's Executive Order in June 2020 that limited the size of public gatherings and social distancing and strict adherence to the Maricopa County mask mandate," said Mayor Dickey. "Though we continue to be cautious, the statistics and other factors support relaxing some of the restrictions in Fountain Hills at this time."
While this action will permit the upcoming Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts and the Fountain Hills Music Festival to occur, all other community events over 50 people on town property and public places will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for proper covid mitigation planning and to ensure the safety of the public before receiving a town permit for events.
The Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts will take place April 9-11 in downtown Fountain Hills. The Fountain Hills Music Festival is scheduled on April 10 at Fountain Park.
In December 2020, the Town closed Town Council meetings to public attendance to help prevent COVID-19 from spreading. The Town also closed the Community Center on January 1 to most programs and services. As the percentage of positive cases of coronavirus lowered to five percent, a number recognized by the Centers for Disease Control as an acceptable threshold, the Town removed some of the restrictions. As of March 8, the Community Center was reopened to programs and services, though there is still a limit of 50 people, and face masks and physical distancing is enforced. The Town Council meetings opened to in-person public attendance on Tuesday, March 16.
The Town of Fountain Hills will continue to monitor COVID-19 numbers in the community, following Governor Ducey's guidance and the state health department's recommendations. The Town will also be adhering to Maricopa County’s face covering mandate and physical distancing in public settings.