Require Masks at Twitch Con NA
While I understand that currently the CDC is not requiring masks at events, I feel the staff of Twitch and the goers of Twitch Con NA have a duty to ensure con-goers are safe.
As it stands on the CDC COVID tracker website (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home) you can see the fluctuations of the virus and the numbers are on an upward incline already and those numbers are only until January 6th.
From what the US itself is experiencing, much less the entire world taking into account international travelers who would be coming, a mask mandate for the convention should be put in place for not only NA but also for the EU.
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hikkira commented
@Z64bit Risks do exist. You also want to know whats awesome, we can make a risk not be a possibility when we use precautions. We got rid of a flu strain from using masks. Polio and measles were gone thanks to vaccines, and now we see what happens when we ignore it. So you are cool with injuring and killing people who don't have the defenses to be around other people. So you are forcing people to what? Not live a life? So who are you forcing really? All People need to be wearing masks while we got a pandemic still going on and measles on the up and up. This is what happens when we dont force people to care about others.
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Z64bit commented
Also risks exist and if you can't accept that you probably shouldn't go outside at all. You can wear a mask and I do encourage it if you're sick but don't force people who don't need them to wear them.
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Z64bit commented
@IkariGullwing So are you saying every single one of you are experts? You don't need to be an expert to have opinions on something and share it. Chances are I can't go anyways. San Diego is too far from the East Coast.
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IkariGullwing commented
@Z64bit I see the experts in the field have entered the thread. Please, do share with us your credentials and why you think masking isn't something that should be mandated by Twitch so everyone can go and enjoy themselves. 🤡
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Almeck commented
@Z64bit The numbers don't lie and the numbers say that in the US people are still being hospitalized by COVID on a regular basis. Some are dying and many are being permanently disabled by Long COVID. Your personal anecdote is useless in the face of the vast wealth of data that exists on this matter. Sit down, read a book, and go learn something for once.
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Z64bit commented
Where I am masking hasn't been a thing except in hospitals since January 2021 and there has been no issues locally so this is a non issue
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AriCentauri commented
Masking would make me feel so much safer. Not only to safeguard against COVID, which is very important as repeated infections increase people’s risk of complications, but to prevent any other sickness as well! Why should we just accept that we’re likely to get sick from an event when an easy solution is right there? Making masks mandatory will make this event safer for EVERYONE and make it more accessible for immunocompromised people.
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AstraENVT commented
I'm tired of people just ACCEPTING the con flu when the most obvious solution to stop it is literally right there.
Masking is commonplace in many places, but I don't trust that people who are sick coming to these cons are responsible enough to mask up, so the only possible solution is to make EVERYONE mask up. My only issue is that although Twitch required masks, it was very poorly enforced--we would need much stronger commitment to keeping TwitchCon safe and year and year has proven that they don't care.
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maightandmagic commented
Every large event since 2020 has become a COVID super spreader, and even before then, they were major sick hubs. We can make large events safer by continuing to require masks to protect not just con goers, but their families and their communities around the globe as well.
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AerosAliken commented
As someone who is immuno compromised after a lung collapse, I would love to be able to attend TC without the anxiety hanging over my head about potentially catching covid and being hospitalised.
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morgueAbsolut commented
@z64bit imminent bird flu thanks you for your contribution
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Almeck commented
@Z64bit no one asked you. It's an ongoing pandemic. This is the least that Twitch could do to protect its user-base and creators. Without which they are nothing.
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Z64bit commented
No. It should of course be allowed but definitely not required.
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Almeck commented
@jdodd64 I'm over you and all anti-science people like you
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IkariGullwing commented
then don't go, jdodd64
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jdodd64 commented
I'm over the mask
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Rozwords commented
I think this is a great idea and I support masking at TwitchCon
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Ludo_Narr commented
Mandatory masks and proper ventilation would greatly enhance the safety of all participants. The most pressing issue right now is Covid, but masks also keep other airborne infections under control.
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morgueAbsolut commented
This is one of the best things to do to keep attendees, especially disabled ones, safe. I would also reccomend implementing other safety measures from the "Swiss Cheese Method" like air filtering and rapid covid tests on-site, but this is by far the strongest and least expensive way in which to protect the twitch community.
If twitch is to do their previously honored charity, AbleGamers, right, you should implement masking using KF94s or higher in order to stand by that previous promise to their disabled community members.
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FatPidgeyBirb commented
Even if Covid wasn't a major problem (which it still very much is and currently has much higher numbers than in 2020-21), masking would help prevent many other airborne illnesses from spreading, leading more people to enjoy the entirety of the convention rather than feeling sick. As more and more people become disabled, it is a duty of any mass-gathering that states it cares about its community to enforce masking policies, because 'getting sick' is not getting sick anymore.