COVID-19 Safety Policy

At Balticon we aim to provide a welcoming, supportive, and safe environment for everyone, including members, volunteers, hotel employees, and the community at large. In support of that we are taking steps to mitigate risks from COVID using vaccination and behavioral measures.

The following is the official Balticon 56 policy related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 as of February 18, 2022.

1. Mandatory: Completed Vaccination

To attend any aspect of Balticon 56 in person, members and guests of Balticon 56 must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the convention with a course of vaccination approved for human use as a COVID vaccine in the country in which the vaccine was received, including authorization for emergency use.

This means you must have received all required COVID vaccination doses no later than 14 days prior to the day you arrive at Balticon 56 to allow them to reach full efficacy before arrival. For people arriving on Friday, May 27th that will be Friday, May 13th.

2. Mandatory: Masks must be worn

Properly worn masks covering nose and mouth are required for all convention members and guests in all convention spaces, except when actively eating or drinking in designated areas. Failure to comply is a Code of Conduct violation and may be subject to disciplinary action. The CDC recommends N-95, KN-95, or KF-94 masks.

Convention Members should bring sufficient masks with them for the weekend. Balticon anticipates having a limited supply of masks available during the Convention.

To help make people aware if a COVID-19 exposure is discovered at the convention, members and guests with Android or iOS devices are encouraged to download and install the MD COVID Alert app. More information can be found at https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/mdcovidalert/ 

4. Refund Policy

Members who will not be fully vaccinated by the time of the convention may request that their current attending membership be converted to a virtual membership or rolled over to Balticon 57, consistent with Balticon’s existing refund policies.

We understand some individuals may still have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. We recommend visiting the CDC’s page Myths and Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines for more information.

This policy is based on guidance provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and created in consultation with epidemiologists who are familiar with conventions and fandom. In addition, we will comply with applicable laws and regulations. We will continue monitoring announcements from the CDC, Maryland, and local government health resources. We will revise our policy as necessary and communicate any updates or changes to our members. To be alerted to updates, please subscribe to our COVID mailing list. It will be used for updates to the COVID policy only.

Please visit our FAQ if you have any questions about this policy, or contact us at covid@balticon.org if you have questions not answered by the FAQ.

Balticon would like to thank Discon III for allowing us to use their COVID policy as a model for ours.

Thank you for joining with us to keep our community and those around us safe.