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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fenixcor commented
this is a really awesome proposal. covid is intensifying and we are slipping into complacency. we owe it to each other to protect ourselves from covid & other respiratory viruses/illnesses that are actively spreading. the love based solution is requiring masks.
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boiledpeanutsTV commented
masks are necessary for covid protection, and twitch con is a massive group of people there's bound to be germs and sickness floating around even without covid so masking is always a good idea! also another silly reason for masks is it might encourage more vtubers to come out to twitchcon if they can mask to keep their faces hidden! :3
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Bubby_Bobbles commented
Not only is COVID safety important, it could also be easy *if* we all do our part. It's also worth every penny spent on prevention, because long COVID doesn't joke around. COVID can make you deathly sick or disable you.
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akumaaaa commented
*signs in support for this*
As someone from the international community, and would consider coming to t-con San Diego, I'd be more inclined to making the trip if sufficient safety pre-cautions such as this have been taken. I dont expect them to provide everyone a mask, people should just get their own (im sure there's enough places in SD that'd sell them if people forgot to prepack one?) But it would be good to have set stations with hand sanitizer within the venue. Its one thing to be in the same space as everyone else... throwing in a few hand shakes from meeting new people or touching un-sanitized surfaces just adds another dimension of problems (especially where people who aren't physically sick with the virus might still be contagious). Touching a unclean surface and then touching your face (around the eyes, nose, mouth) are an easy way to get it too. -
Mordant_Cassie commented
Masking Please
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ladybminiatures commented
twitch needs to make sure that they are keep immunocompromised people safe at twitch con by demanding people wear masks and social distancing to keep COVID away from the con
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xanderjiggles commented
From a purely self-interested perspective, Twitch can and should improve its own profit margins by implementing mask mandates for con attendees & staff. They will have fewer personnel call-outs and staffing SNAFUs due to sudden illness, they will increase public confidence in the safety of their event, thereby driving up ticket sales, and they will benefit from mitigating the post-con-crud's effects on their employees returning to site offices. From a public perspective, it's the right thing to do. From a business perspective, it's the smart & cost-effective thing to do. Masking and air filtration are proven effective at infection mitigation by decades of hard science - time for Twitch to catch up, and prosper.
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fecesemann commented
Masking with properly-fitted KN95 and N95 respirators makes a difference.
Asymptomatic COVID doesn't stop you from getting Long COVID later on. Getting a "mild" case don't stop you. COVID damages your immune system and immune response to other viruses. Catching it only provides further harm, whether you're vaccinated or not. Masking, as well as clean air and disinfection protocol, help minimize the spread of COVID as well as other diseases that can be harmful to everyone.
Even if for whatever reason you have been led to believe COVID is just a "common cold," do you really want to keep catching the "convention cold" anyways?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9608044/
Billionaires sure cared about disinfection protocol at Davos (#DavosSafe) even when corporate media signaled everything was "back to normal". https://coviddatadispatch.com/2023/01/22/covid-source-shout-out-safety-protocols-at-davos/
What about the rest of us?
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Almeck commented
Not only should masking be mandatory for all attendees, but every member of staff. Last year Dan Clancy, the CEO himself, was seen attending large gatherings without a mask, only to later test positive for COVID shortly after. Along with many of the people he was witnessed around. Several streamers' communities have kept an eye on the last couple of Twitch cons, and did more than Twitch itself by contact tracing positive cases confirmed by people posting their test results. In 2023 there were over 300 confirmed positive cases that could be traced back to Twitchcon. That's only the confirmed cases and does not account for asymptomatic cases or people that are suspected to have had COVID based on stated symptoms but did not take a test.
All this to say is that it is extremely important for public health and the community at large to take this issue seriously. The pandemic is not over and will only continue to if more people don't take responsibility for their actions. Let Twitch stand above others and set an example for other conventions. Failure to do so will be nothing short of a statement that Twitch as a whole does not care about immunocompromised and otherwise vulnerable individual with or without disabilities.
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tryffelmoster commented
I love this idéa! I think using masks for any conventions should be more normalised! 👍 (and in general really, but especially at cons.)
(If anyone doesn't mind, could someone make a post and suggest this for TwitchCon EU also? I'm bad with words, hence why I don't make the post myself.)
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BaeRaeGames commented
the amount of people who got covid last year from this con shows that we still need masks at events like this. masking is a bare minimum and twitch not including it in the rules kinda sucks
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DesolateMirror commented
Masking is the bare minimum. Where are the air purifiers, air flow, etc.
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c7andr7__ commented
I speak/represent for myself and no one else, but there are many public health practitioners and health personnel like myself who see the importance of masking, clean air and ventilation in large gatherings like conventions among other important measures to take. There have been great examples like FANIME, Big Bad Con and even FFXIV FanFest in Japan just last year as well as throughout the pandemic, it has been shown that masking, safe practices and continued mitigation strategies do not stop the fun from happening. If anything, it allows for all attendees, con goers, their families and communities to stay safe while having a good time. As of 2024, WHO still shared that we are STILL technically in a pandemic so I think it would be important for TwitchCon to keep this in mind. There are plenty of people who would be more able and willing to help those who want to make these things happen (and permanently) if need be, even if we can't attend ourselves because we have to do what we do.
I encourage TwitchCon to please look at recent reports and data, the prevalence of Long COVID in the US/globally as well as consider this with the many people who want to attend. And in consideration, infectious disease prevention should be an important aspect of large gatherings as there are numerous reports of outbreaks of measles, TB and other diseases that can be mitigated through cleaning the air and wearing masks etc. It shouldn't just be on disabled and immunocompromised creators, fans and attendees to want to make spaces safer. More of us should be in solidarity to make these types of things happen more often. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/01/long-covid-dropping-risk-incidence/677183/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
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dub42069 commented
So many people together will spread coughs and things as it is, please give some care to the disabled and immunocompromised creators/people. While also looking after the health of everyone else too!
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pie3atingcontest commented
Keep disabled and immunocompromised creators and attendees safe by requiring masks at Twitchcon! My friends should not have to risk their lives to attend an event centered on their community. I will not be attending a con until this is standard.
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spicyygrandpa commented
I'm disabled and am unable to attend conventions, including twitchcon, without a masking policy. For some of us, its not a choice!! (and for everyone else...unfortunately one day many of you will arrive at the same conclusion with long covid being so prevalent). Require precautions, including masking.
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heycambry commented
People's lives are at stake, and the onus is on Twitch to create safe spaces for their namesake online and in person. There is no tangible reason given the data to ignore transmission negation efforts such as mask requirements.
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belly_beane commented
Absolutely masks should be required. Covid is disabling millions of people, even those with mild symptoms. You have a duty to protect creators and staff.
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Giraffevee commented
We had a super spreader at an event of ~60 that attracted upwards of 40 attendees. You can’t just idly ignore this.
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jwgrimey commented
We're in the second biggest COVID surge we've seen, people's lives are at stake