I'm not going to discuss the con's behavioral rules; I haven't experienced problems.

But their Covid policies may generate some drama. Summarizing:

* All attendees have to wear surgical, or preferably N95 masks at all times
when not eating.

* All attendees must have had the bivalent booster not later than Jan 3,
and be able to prove it. (I don't recall this last year).

The notices on the website if you only went to register were not very
prominent.

I envisage a number of people arriving at registration without vax documentation, who have prepaid for memberships, and committed
hundreds of dollars to airfare and hotel rooms, only to be turned away.
Will the con refund any of this?

It's also unnecessary. While wearing a mask protects yourself and others,
Not having the latest booster places only yourself at risk.

Pt

On 1/12/23 1:05 AM, Peter Trei wrote:
> I'm not going to discuss the con's behavioral rules; I haven't experienced problems.
>
> But their Covid policies may generate some drama. Summarizing:
>
> * All attendees have to wear surgical, or preferably N95 masks at all times
> when not eating.

The part about cloth masks not being acceptable will create some
complications. Hopefully the con will have a supply of masks on hand.

>
> * All attendees must have had the bivalent booster not later than Jan 3,
> and be able to prove it. (I don't recall this last year).
>
> The notices on the website if you only went to register were not very
> prominent.

The registration page currently says: "Arisia continues to require that
everyone attending any in-person Arisia events, including Arisia 2023,
be fully vaccinated and masked. For more information about Arisia's
COVID policies, please see our COVID page." I don't know if this is a
recent change.

>
> I envisage a number of people arriving at registration without vax documentation, who have prepaid for memberships, and committed
> hundreds of dollars to airfare and hotel rooms, only to be turned away.
> Will the con refund any of this?

Wasn't there an Arisia a while back where attendees had to sign a
statement agreeing to additional terms while they were in the
registration line? I don't think the con refunded the memberships of
people who declined the new terms.

> It's also unnecessary. While wearing a mask protects yourself and others,
> Not having the latest booster places only yourself at risk.

Being vaccinated decreases the odds that you're carrying COVID.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote in
news:tposh5$18ruj$1@dont-email.me:

> On 1/12/23 1:05 AM, Peter Trei wrote:
>> I'm not going to discuss the con's behavioral rules; I haven't
>> experienced problems.
>>
>> But their Covid policies may generate some drama. Summarizing:
>>
>> * All attendees have to wear surgical, or preferably N95 masks
>> at all times when not eating.
>
> The part about cloth masks not being acceptable will create some
> complications. Hopefully the con will have a supply of masks on
> hand.

Want to bet on that?

--
Terry Austin

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

Some people have become so addicted to their fear they have lost the
ability to live without it.

Personally, even if I were into cons, I wouldn't have any interest in
associating with such people. Their fear is the *only* thing they're
capable of considering.

--
Terry Austin

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
> Peter Trei wrote:
>> * All attendees must have had the bivalent booster not later than
>> Jan 3, and be able to prove it. (I don't recall this last year).

So far, nobody in this thread has responded to the part about the
bivalent booster. Of course that wasn't required last year, as that
booster wasn't approved until nine months after last year's Arisia.

Lots of people who regard themselves as fully vaccinated haven't yet
gotten the bivalent booster, and maybe don't intend to. Especially
since last September, before the bivalent booster was available,
President Biden claimed the pandemic was over.

Also, what about foreigners? The last two Worldcons have allowed in
people with foreign vaccinations, but bivalent boosters aren't yet
available in many countries. Or do no foreigners attend Arisia?

(I got the bivalent booster two months ago, two weeks before
Chessiecon, which I attended. But I don't plan to attend Arisia.
I've never attended Arisia, or any other New England con since
the "Boskone from Hell" 36 years ago, except Worldcons.)
--
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.

Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>I envisage a number of people arriving at registration without vax documentation, who have prepaid for memberships, and committed
>hundreds of dollars to airfare and hotel rooms, only to be turned away.
>Will the con refund any of this?

I really haven't heard anything about Arisia this year, in part because a lot
of people I know who normally go weren't there. But I heard from a friend
who worked at registration that the registration was relatively seamless once
someone got credit card readers that had a valid account.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 5:10:57 PM UTC-5, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >I envisage a number of people arriving at registration without vax documentation, who have prepaid for memberships, and committed
> >hundreds of dollars to airfare and hotel rooms, only to be turned away.
> >Will the con refund any of this?
> I really haven't heard anything about Arisia this year, in part because a lot
> of people I know who normally go weren't there. But I heard from a friend
> who worked at registration that the registration was relatively seamless once
> someone got credit card readers that had a valid account.
> --scott

I don't know attendance numbers, but it felt low, less than half what I recall. Last
year, the con went online-only at the last moment. I had a prepaid membership,
so I can't comment on the card process, but registration was pretty quick, not the
hours long lines I've.seen in the past.

The fly in the ointment was the vaccine requirement. The con, beyond requiring masks
in all public areas, required proof that you were up to date with the latest bivalent
booster.

I'm fully boosted, but the CVS employee who gave me the last booster insisted on entering
the data on a tiny empty space at the bottom of the form. It was barely legible, and the
Arisia volunteer who was checking was clearly suspicious. It took some serious
'Old man talking authoritatively to a 20-something' pressure for me to get a badge.

For the most part, con goers were the only mask wearers in the hotel. Covid also
led to muffled voices in panels, microphones that were too far away to pick up
speakers (the signs forbidding speakers from moving them being more and more
Ignored as the con progressed), and noisy box fans at the back of each panel room,
making hearing speakers even harder.

I'm curious how this compares with other cons in this period.

Pt

On 1/22/23 12:40 AM, Peter Trei wrote:

> For the most part, con goers were the only mask wearers in the hotel. Covid also
> led to muffled voices in panels, microphones that were too far away to pick up
> speakers (the signs forbidding speakers from moving them being more and more
> Ignored as the con progressed), and noisy box fans at the back of each panel room,
> making hearing speakers even harder.
>
> I'm curious how this compares with other cons in this period.

We'll find out soon in the same hotel, with Boskone.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com