This year, the New Mexico State Fair will feature up to 30 employees who will be conducting COVID-19 vaccine screening at the entrance, ensuring that nobody enters the fairgrounds who is not vaccinated from the deadly virus, KRQE reported. 

Though the ticket takers at the entrance are not trained medical professionals, the employees who are selected will receive training as to what documentation and proof will be accepted from ticket holders such as standard vaccine cards, screenshots from New Mexico Health, and also CDC paperwork that shows their vaccination status. 

General Manager of Expo New Mexico Dan Mourning said, “It’s a lot to ask of a ticket taker, if you will, when you know there’s no health care professionals or anything of that nature. I think we’re doing what’s industry standard of what’s been happening around the country.”

The company expects that there will be some pushback, as vaccine mandates have been a controversial topic around the country. They say that medical and religious exemptions will be allowed, but those that gain these exceptions will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test that has been taken within the previous 48 hours. 

The company says that no government officials will be on-site to facilitate.