One thing I feel we missed in the announcement: "For now, get ready for the release of the event catalog in a few short weeks".
How few, how short?
6 weeks
I hope that the indoor mask option is just that optional, but at best that will only work if a vaccine requirement stays in place (there are number of apps that can help with this CLEAR being leader for a national standard, not sure about International).
Watched a little of the Oscars last night. A very large crowd. Don't recall a single mask being worn. And this was in California.
I concede the point that the large number of people were in close proximity only for a few hours so may not a good analogy for Gencon.
lexington toy con was maskless and it was packed, penguin walking packed :p
As a parallel example, sporting events (20-70k inside) over the last year have shown little evidence of significant COVID spreading surges. Given the wide variety of people coming from all over for these type of events, this should be a good example for GC.
If there's an example of something more tightly packed than the GC dealer room, it's an indoor stadium with 35k strangers sitting arm to arm, maskless, and eating/drinking.
The CDC is saying that 95% of Americans now have antibodies, either through vaccination or infection (or both).
Thank you for your support.
GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL!
As an original AZ recipient who was guided to get an mRNA vaccine when they became available here in the Frozen Wastes to the North, who then got Pfizer, it amused me when my booster was Moderna. No superpowers yet, but I'm sure we're near a breakthrough.
I think I'll skip Sputnik and Sinovax though...
A question for Gencon staff I suppose, is there any scenario where the vaccine mandate is dropped or regardless of circumstance whenever you make your "final decision" is that a non-negotiable for ya'll? I'm vaxxed, kid is not and we don't plan to. I wanted to be able to plan accordingly if you guys know that stance is firm.
Thanks,
Mike
I just attended a 2-day-long, sci-fi themed LARP with just under 400 participants, including some from other countries. It was complete with actors and enough staff to run the hotel we were all in, so I'd guess at least 100 more staff members. All of the staff had backstories and never broke character, from the servers to the custodial staff. We were all inside a building much smaller than the ICC. It had no windows and you could only leave the building with the assistance of the staff. This LARP had escape room elements, mini-game video games, r/c racing, computer terminals, card tournaments, dance lessons and all sorts of activities to participate in. All of us shared a dining hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dinner being split into two groups to accommodate the size of the group. I did this with 28 of my family members, ranging in ages from 2 - 83.
Nobody wore masks. Vaccinations were not required. There was no social distancing. This company puts this on a couple of times a week, every week. So far, there has been no reports of any super-spreaders occurring at this event. None of my family got sick while we were there or after we left. This event was a blast! My children and I all felt that it reminded us of pre-Covid Gen Cons. We really missed the feeling of gaming with others, making new friends and letting our imaginations run wild. It almost felt magical to see so many smiling faces, shake hands with people and watch the actors and staff hug guests or wrap their arms around people while they took pictures with them. We really hope that the metrics continue to trend downwards enough that Gen Con will be willing to at least drop the vaccine requirement so we can all experience this again at Gen Con.
I know Mike and the rest of the Gen Con staff are top-notch professionals. I believe they hope to be able to return to hosting the con the way it was before Covid. My family and I are just hoping this is the year that they will be able to do it.