Fáilte! – On the grounds of the MS Agriculture & Forestry Museum * Located at I-55 & Lakeland Drive

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12 March 2020
In light of yesterday’s events in Mississippi and nationally, as well as in compliance with guidelines from the CDC and the MS Dept of Health, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Festival. This was not a decision that we came to lightly but we can not in good conscience continue on and take the risk of not only potentially providing the space to spread the pandemic but to also risk a financial end by not meeting our projected attendance. The Kindred Spirits Scotch & Whiskey Tasting is also cancelled and refunds will be issued.

If there is an opportunity to reschedule for 2020 we will take every step to make that happen.

It is with an abundance of caution that we take these steps and not out of caving to hysteria as some will assume. The idea of Flattening the Curve was a mitigating factor in our decision. Here’s a little snippet on that concept that we hope will be helpful.

Please accept our sincere apologies on behalf of myself and the Celtic Heritage Society Board.

Suezen Brown
Celtic Heritage Society President
CelticFest MS Director

The key is slowing down rates of infection sufficiently so that the medical system is not overwhelmed.

“Flattening the curve means that all the social distancing measures now being deployed in places like Italy and South Korea, and on a smaller scale in places like Seattle and Santa Clara County, California, aren’t so much about preventing illness but rather slowing down the rate at which people get sick.

The CDC posted new guidance for people over age 60 and people with chronic medical conditions — the two groups considered most vulnerable to severe pneumonia from Covid-19 — to “avoid crowds as much as possible.”“If more of us do that, we will slow the spread of the disease,” Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine. “That means my mom and your mom will have a hospital bed if they need it.”

So even if you’re young and healthy, it’s your job to follow social distancing measures to avoid spreading it to others, and keep the epidemic in slow motion. “The more young and healthy people are sick at the same time, the more old people will be sick, and the more pressure there will be on the health care system,” said Landon.”.