Mask Requirement for TwitchCon
After the surge of COVID cases after TwitchCon EU it was incredibly surprising to see the lack of mask policy for the event and makes many of us incredibly concerned about TwitchCon NA. Many other cons that have gone without a mask policy have only exacerbated the COVID cases where cons like PAX East, West etc have had much lower cases by having a strict mask policy.
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We hear you and take these concerns seriously. In response to all of your feedback, we are updating our TwitchCon policies to require masks, as well as either proof of vaccination or a negative covid test. We will continue to review our health and safety guidelines along with local authorities in order to keep our community safe IRL at TwitchCon San Diego. Thank you for making your voice heard. More info is available here.
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DrDelvan commented
This is so ridiculous, how on earth do you not at least have a mask policy for a gathering of this size? I'm on week 5 of dealing with a long COVID infection why on earth does Twitch want more people to catch it?
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sillymusicgirl commented
Requiring masks is the smallest requirement and keeps our disabled community that much more safe. If TwitchCon EU wasnt a prime example of what can go wrong, i dont know what will.
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AnEternalEnigma commented
There is a state of emergency right now in San Diego County over Monkeypox. The Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants are VERY contagious. I just got it again after not having had it in 1.5 years. I had pre-vaccine COVID. I know a good amount of people who are getting COVID for the first time now who avoided it since the start of the pandemic. This version of COVID completely destroyed my throat which is the tool I need to perform on Twitch and put me out of action for a week and a half. I went to PAX East '22 and SGDQ '22 which had robust mask/vaccine policies. SGDQ '22 actively provided masks for attendees. Yes, people did get sick but it was a lot less than what it would have been without those policies. Having unvaccinated folks at this event with people all over the world attending is a breeding ground for new variants. Please reconsider.
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Lachlie commented
Like… just enforce masks. Come on
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Seguran commented
You are putting your creators, customers, and vendors at risk. Other cons who have followed this level of health policy have been the center of breakthroughs and spread. You need to have AT MINIMUM a N95 or equivalent mask policy, and at best testing/vaccination requirements in addition to the mask policy.
This is incredibly tonedeaf coming from Twitch that benefited so much from the pandemic.
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Maliveth commented
Mask requirements are the bare minimum. Speaking as a convention artist trying to make a living, conventions forgoing the simplest measures to keep people safe is at best disappointing, at worst incredibly dangerous.
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ItsAnEd commented
Low-key expecting an anime expo response where they say they will and then just not enforce it. SDCC had people actively testing the air quality of the venue using an Aranet 2 and it showed that the air quality was extremely good, with masks it would greatly minimize the chances of increased cases.
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jjmattison commented
If Twitch's higher-ups are so confident this does not need to be implemented, I expect there to be a public meet and greet with executives on the show floor.
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Valmot commented
Pretending the pandemic is over is not only insulting to those who have suffered from illness or loss due to Covid, it also puts at risk an entire population of people who have been and still are regularly disabused of rights, treated as an after thought, and often struggle to be heard over the simplest of things. If Twitch is actually a platform of community, then it needs to be demonstrated by doing the BARE MINIMUM to protect members of that community.
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Fanficaholic commented
Very upset at this lack of masks. If there is not a strict mask rule, I won’t be going.
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skhali commented
Very disappointed in the decision for TwitchCon to not implement any sort of covid safety restrictions for a large, indoor gathering. Other events have successfully implemented these, it is the very least you can do to instill confidence in the attendees that the organizers care about our health and well being. I was planning to attend, as well as lots of out of state friends, but one by one, each of us are cancelling our plans. I’m seeing nothing but upset streamers and twitch users on twitter and other social media also cancelling their plans. If not for the sheer ethics of it, know that this was a poor business decision, and you’re losing out on the revenue of many, many potential attendees. Again, this is incredibly disappointing. This was my most anticipated event of the year until now.
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paliPhD commented
I will not attend without a mask/vaccine mandate. And I already bought plane tickets so this is not an easy decision.
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koolkayak commented
I do not feel comfortable going unless there is a mask/vaccine mandate. Please ensure the safety of everyone who goes.
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No_Lollygaggin commented
Be responsible and require vaxx/neg test and masks while attending.
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RunaThePersocom commented
Think about the people coming to attend YOUR event, Twitch. This is appalling.
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faroh commented
pls make this a rule <3
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lacunacraft commented
There is no reason not to have a mask and vaccine mandate when San Diego Comic Con did. It is at the exact same venue. Just do it
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gnome_anne commented
I won't attend unless there is a vaccine & mask requirement
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codygirlboss06 commented
For a convention that's all about bringing communities together, people shouldn't be scared or hesitant to even attend because of health concerns. I hope Twitch reconsiders their protocols so everyone can come together in a safe environment.
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Carto commented
I live here in SoCal and it's currently an absolute disaster for COVID. You need a policy change to require masks and vaccines. They just did it for comic con, no excuse not to. There will be a lot of ill people without it.