Disease Mitigation Policy

Disease Mitigation Policy

This is the disease mitigation policy which will be in effect during our convention. We will always abide by UK, Scottish, and Glaswegian laws at a minimum for our physical convention. We have chosen to add some stronger mitigation recommendations. We reserve the right to revise our policy to be more restrictive if dictated by new circumstances, but will not revise to a standard less restrictive than what was originally published in November 2023.

Policy

Please note that we use the term “member” throughout this policy as shorthand. The policy applies to WSFS members and all types of ticket holders.

  • Some parts of our venues are open to the public, including legal public thoroughfares. We cannot enforce masking in these areas, including the main concourse of the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).
    However, the SEC’s ventilation system has been improved as part of its incarnation as an NHS Nightingale (temporary, COVID-19-pandemic-driven) hospital.
  • We strongly recommend that every member wears a mask, particularly indoors or in crowded areas, such as the registration area and programme rooms.
  • We strongly recommend that every member is vaccinated and boosted against all major communicable diseases for which vaccines are available to them.
  • We will not require proof of any vaccination at the convention, given vaccine allergies and international policy variability.
  • We strongly recommend that every member tests daily for COVID-19 and when they have any relevant symptoms. We also recommend testing for flu before the convention.
  • We will not require proof of a negative test at time of badge pickup or for spot checking, especially given the locally-limited supply of self-tests.
  • We strongly recommend that every member regularly and effectively washes and dries their hands. When this is not possible, we recommend that hand sanitiser is used.
  • We strongly recommend that online and on-site members get sufficient high-quality rest, hydration, and nutrition for their personal needs.
  • Please do not physically attend the convention if you have any new and potentially-contagious symptoms which have begun within the previous week. Such symptoms include coughing, sneezing, sniffling, running a fever, or having digestive issues.
  • We will enforce the Code of Conduct in all applicable situations, including when another member’s choices about disease mitigation do not match yours. This includes, but is not limited to, mitigations by masking, social distancing, or physical contact. For example, you may neither encroach on someone’s space who has asked you to stay 2 metres away nor may you yell at someone who is not wearing an N95 mask.

Policy Context

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that conventions need to be more mindful of contagion as a whole. We need to be thoughtful and deliberate about our responsibilities regarding contagion by actions such as looking at current government policies and discussing situations around mutually-exclusive accessibility requirements. This is why we are not calling this policy our COVID-19 policy—we need a policy which covers more than that.

As an international team, we are acutely aware that different governments have different policies and availability of vaccines. We also know that some people are unable to be vaccinated for a number of entirely valid reasons (e.g. allergy, age).

Our policy is based on the National Health Service (NHS) recommendations in Scotland in effect at time of publication, November 2023. We have augmented those recommendations with additional mitigations and recommendations for our members.

If you have any questions, you can contact info@glasgow2024.org