Posted in: Comics | Tagged: eccc, masks, ReedPOP, seattle

Emerald City Comic Con Changes Policy On Mask-Wearing

Published Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:27:12 -0500

As Bleeding Cool previously reported, San Diego Comic-Con seemed to be a bit of a super spreader, but no so much at the show itself, which insisted on vaccination and masking, but the social events afterwards, where people threw caution to the wind. With many pointing at the Hilton Gaslamp Scholastic party on the Thursday and Hilton Bayfront gatherings on the Saturday. DC Comics is happy they kept their social event outside, while Bad Idea did similar.

In July, Bleeding Cool reported that a number of creators announced they were dropping out of the Emerald City Comic Convention, ECCC, in Seattle from the 18th to the 21st of August, after they issued this policy.

We want to let you know that ECCC will be aligning with King County's current Health & Safety regulations this August. We will not be doing vaccination or test checking onsite and we strongly recommend the use of high quality masks while at the show, like a certified N95, KN95, or KN94 mask. Masks may be required in certain areas or panels. We will have some onsite, but recommend you bring your own.

"Strongly recommend" just wasn't good enough for many. And now ReedPOP has reversed that mask policy, They are still not testing for vaccination. A new message issued reads;

"I want to let you know that we are reinstituting the face covering requirement for Emerald City Comic Con 2022. Approved face coverings will be required throughout all areas of the show and we are strongly recommending the use of high-quality face coverings while at the show, such as a certified N95, KN95, or KN94 mask. You can find more information on our website for guidance on acceptable facial coverings.

Face coverings will be available onsite, but we recommend you bring your own. The most common question related to any face covering requirement centers around the use of helmets and cosplay masks. We request that you please arrive without your helmet on and remove any cosplay masks (sorry superheroes) so that we can verify you are wearing an approved facial covering. You may wear your helmet/mask after entering provided that you have an approved face covering on as well. Remember it can get hot under those helmets/cosplay masks, take breaks periodically to give yourself a chance to recharge. We've seen a lot of our fans get super creative with masking and cosplay, but if you have more questions please reach out to our team

For those of you concerned about your celebrity photo ops, you will be permitted to remove your face covering while your photo is being taken. We are not using plexiglass unless requested by our talent. However, approved face coverings must be worn in line and placed back on once you have exited the photo op area. We have increased cleaning and air filtration in these spaces specifically to maintain a safe environment for your photo ops. The decision to reinstitute a face covering requirement for ECCC 2022 is not one we take lightly or without a great deal of discussion about what promotes the safest environment for all of our guests. Thank you for continuing to support us. We're all in this together as we find our new normal, and we appreciate your continued trust in ReedPop to bring you the best pop culture event Seattle has to offer. Hope to see you soon, Kristina Rogers VP of Events ReedPop

C2E2, ReedPOP's next show being held in Chicago this weekend, however, is sticking with the "strongly recommend" language.

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