COVID-19 and Health Policy

Our convention’s top priority is protecting the health and safety of all present. We have watched government guidance on COVID-19, case loads from conventions which have experimented with a mixture of policies, and also taken into consideration how attendees, staff and dealers feel about health restrictions while crafting this policy.

We have considered the feasibility of enforcement as well as fairness given the decrease in funding for vaccines and tests, as well as the likelihood most of our attendees already have their boosters given 2023’s requirements and the requirements of nearby conventions. LVFC, furthermore, is a very outdoors-oriented convention, thus helping attendees manage risk of respiratory illnesses.

While COVID-19 is highly salient, there are a variety of diseases ranging from influenza to the common cold which can spread easily at conventions, colloquially known as “con crud.” Policies taken to counteract COVID-19 have the additional benefit of limiting the impact of other diseases, hence our preference for the term “Health Policy.” Nonetheless, COVID-19 weighs heavily on the minds of many and will be given different treatment due to its continued infectiousness.

The below is LVFC’s final policy for 2024 barring legal requirements to change it.

We understand these policies may be upsetting to some attendees and offer full refunds. To request a refund, please go to your orders page in ConCat, right click your registration, and hit “Request Refund.”

Vaccination Policies

Required vaccination:

For COVID-19, you must have completed at minimum a primary series of COVID-19 vaccination OR a single booster. The primary series consists of the original shots (two of Moderna, Pfizer, Novavax, Sputnik, AstraZeneca or one of Jansen/J&J). A single booster is any shot from September 2021 onward.

Boosters are considered effective same-day; if you are not vaccinated upon arrival at LVFC but proceed to get a booster shot, you will be considered vaccinated and admitted.

COVID-19 boosters are still free for most Americans thanks to the Bridge Access Program.

Proof of vaccination includes:

  • Registration staff finding a badge print from 2023 in your account, meaning you were boosted or had a medical exemption; this requires that you did not delete your account at the end of LVFC 2023.
  • A physical CDC card or paper vaccination record from your state’s immunization registry. You can find info on state vaccination registry’s here. Please note these documents show other vaccinations too.
  • A photo of the above.
  • A digital record from a state authority or recognized pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.). Most states have some kind of digital record, as seen here.
  • Any mixture of these (e.g. a physical card for one shot and a digital record for a second).

Your proof of vaccination must show the doses administered as well as a name which matches your ID. If for some reason your shot record does not include your name, it can still be used if there’s a way to connect it to your name.

Proof of vaccination does NOT include:

  • Military ID (actual vaccination record must be shown)
  • Appointments

No medical information is retained by the convention.

MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS

LVFC 2024 will allow medical exemptions from vaccines. If you had a medical exemption in 2023 and picked up your badge, you do not need approval again; just go to vax check and say you’re a 2023 attendee. We do not retain records, but you are indistinguishable from other 2023 attendees, thus helping protect your privacy.

First, please create an account at https://reg.lasvegasfurcon.org/ ; you do not need to buy a registration yet. This ensures you have an account with us so we can minimize delays in applying approval status.

Please email vax@lasvegasfurcon.org to request an exemption; requests must be received by 3/22/24. If your request is approved, you will be asked to show a copy of a doctor’s note with the name on your registration, the physician’s phone number, and a recommendation against COVID-19 vaccination. Once your exemption is approved, we will destroy the record and make a note on your account you are exempt for 2024.

Prior to the convention, you will receive special instructions on how to pass through vaccine check and still receive your badge.

After the convention, we will destroy the notes on accounts; you may ask that your account be deleted at any time.

Vaccination Recommendations

LVFC recommends all attendees receive a post-Sept 2023 shot for COVID-19 if possible; the updated booster shot has shown increased effectiveness against recent strains.

LVFC recommends all attendees receive a post-Sept 2023 flu shot; these are free with most insurance.

Other vaccines we highly recommend if available to you: Monkeypox, RSV

Masking Policy

LVFC will require masks in some spaces and circumstances and recommend them in others; these requirements and recommendations also apply to fursuiters. LVFC will work to provide KN95s for free to its attendees, but recommends that a high quality mask – KN95, N95 – which protects you and not just others be worn instead of cloth masks.

Masking helps limit the spread of COVID-19 but also other respiratory illnesses such as the flu, RSV and colds.

Masks will be required (unless actively eating or drinking) in:

  • Dealers Den
  • Adult Dealers Den
  • Artist Alley

All vendors have the right to refuse service to people without masks.

Masks are recommended in:

All other areas if within six feet of others or crowds. Masks should be KN95 or N95 for maximum protection.

Other Health Recommendations

Hygiene: Everyone should wash or sanitize their hands before eating any finger foods such as hamburgers. This reduces the risk of contact-based illness; a doorknob or friend’s fursuit has potentially been touched by hundreds or thousands of people with how pathogens spread. The convention plans to provide hand sanitizer at key points to help minimize risk of contact-based illness.

The 6-2-1 rule – 6 hours of sleep, 2 meals a day, 1 shower a day – should be followed in order to keep your immune system at optimal strength and also provide for a better mood to have fun at the con.

Parties: If you are having a gathering in your room, we recommend opening windows to increase air flow.