Westercon 74 Announces COVID-19 Policy
Feb. 26th, 2022 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeWestercon 74 sent the following announcement to all of its members today (except for the ten members who don't have email but do have paper mail addresses: we sent a paper letter to each of them yesterday):
The Westercon 74 committee has been discussing this for the past few weeks, and our conclusion was that we do still need to take these actions to protect our members. Our policies are patterned after those of DisCon III. Although members of Worldcon did come down with COVID-19, the percentage of members who reported getting sick was lower than that of the surrounding population, and from the reports I read, thanks to everyone being vaccinated, those who did get sick had relatively mild cases.
I'm sorry if this means there are people who had planned to come to Tonopah who now cannot or will not go, but to put it bluntly, I don't want any deaths on my hands.
In the interest of protecting the members of the Westercon community, we have established a Westercon 74 Health & Safety Policy, clarifying and extending our previously published policy regarding COVID-19. All members attending Westercon 74 must be fully vaccinated (including at least one booster shot for those people eligible to receive one) against COVID-19. Members must present proof of vaccination (including booster, if applicable) at the convention registration desk in order to receive their membership badge. Members must wear their membership badge when accessing convention-controlled facilities including the Tonopah Convention Center and other function spaces.
Unvaccinated persons, including anyone ineligible for vaccination, may not attend the convention.
When accessing convention-controlled facilities including the Tonopah Convention Center and other programming spaces, all members are required to wear as a face covering either an authentic N95, KN95, or KF94 mask or a surgical mask that covers both their nose and mouth whenever they are not actively eating or drinking. While surgical masks are acceptable, we strongly encourage all members to wear an N95, KN95, or KF94 face covering as these are superior to a surgical mask.
The complete policy is on our website at http://westercon74.org/about/covid-19-health-and-safety-policy/
We are aware that as of this date, the State of Nevada has lifted its indoor mask mandate; however, the guidance from the state does say that private entities may require masks in settings in which they have jurisdiction. Be aware that while we require masks of our members, employees of the facilities in which we are holding the convention may not be required to wear masks, and it is likely that most businesses in Tonopah will not require them. While we recommend that you wear your mask in public, and many of us on our committee will be doing so ourselves, we cannot require it outside of our convention facilities.
Tonopah is the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. Approximately 57% of Nye County’s residents have had at least one vaccination dose, but less than 50% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated as of this writing. In addition, while Tonopah does have an urgent-care medical clinic and paramedic/EMT services, the nearest hospitals are in Hawthorne, Nevada and Bishop, California, both more than 100 miles from Tonopah.
If you have questions about this policy, please write to us at covid@westercon74.org.
The Westercon 74 committee has been discussing this for the past few weeks, and our conclusion was that we do still need to take these actions to protect our members. Our policies are patterned after those of DisCon III. Although members of Worldcon did come down with COVID-19, the percentage of members who reported getting sick was lower than that of the surrounding population, and from the reports I read, thanks to everyone being vaccinated, those who did get sick had relatively mild cases.
I'm sorry if this means there are people who had planned to come to Tonopah who now cannot or will not go, but to put it bluntly, I don't want any deaths on my hands.
