Well, I omitted that last part because it seemed irrelevant as far as Gen Con goes -- by September there will be no restrictions whatsoever on the convention other than what it chooses to impose on itself.  Certainly the State of Indiana and local officials are not going to continue for months with restrictions that exceed what the CDC is recommending.  The ICC certainly won't.  Rather, this new guidance will trigger a stampede to reopen everything to full capacity -- every sporting event, rock concert, movie theater, convention, etc.

I suspect that this new guidance will turn much of Gen Con's planning on its head.  They were anticipating an attendance capped, socially distanced convention, and in the coming days and weeks the need for that will vanish, at least as far as public health authorities are concerned.  Perhaps they will carve out some "safe spaces" in the form of some masks-required events in distanced rooms, but other than that there will be immense pressure from every direction to have a fully open Gen Con.

Which now makes you wonder if moving the dates on Gen Con to Sept was really a good idea or an over-reaction…

G
 

I believe if they were going to require vaccinations, they would've announced it by now to give people time to get it. Plus, if someone doesn't have the vaccine and can't go, they would want those details before they purchase their badge, which is just over a week away.

Of course what everyone will hear vaccinated or not "I don't have to wear a mask period". The exceptions matter for gencon con cause it is the definition of close tight quarters in normal years.  From a practical point you really can't have masks only for unvaccinated it's completely unenforceable and just a bad policy.  

It certainly bodes well for greatly loosened mask requirements come gencon time.

Yeah, earlier in the year we had no idea things would be going as well as they are now. Better to be sure.

I do not believe the federal mandate on airports and other public transportation is long for this world after most areas have essentially lifted their mask mandates. Certainly individual airlines can continue to try and require/enforce masking at their own discretion after that, of course. I fly -and have been flying- pretty much every month, and from my observation, the airports are almost as full as they used to be and many people (including crew) are compliant but seem somewhat Over It. Though the one good thing about wearing a mask on the plane is that nobody can see your mouth fall open when you fall asleep in your seat.

Of course, six extra weeks does help from a planning perspective, but moving the con to September also helps self-select out the portion of prospective attendees with commitments to the Education calendar, thus reducing the number of people trying to buy badges. I don’t think this was a primary motivator for moving the date, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something that was kept in mind as the decision was being made. Just like there is a better chance in September of it being slightly less hot, so maybe more people will be apt to socialize outside. 

Mike

We're 4 months away from showtime, but as far as that may seem, it's more like 2 and change on the vaccination front (obvious caveats of 'for those who are eligible based on age, immunocompromised status, and any other factors that may be in play'). Got friends and family who plan on attending? Keep nudging them to get that sorted out!