This is the disease mitigation policy which will be in effect during Levitation. We will always abide by UK laws at a minimum for the 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 January 2024.
Policy
At the time of writing in January 2024 there are no other events booked in the convention centre during Levitation and members of the public will thus not have access. We do not have exclusive use of any of the the hotels and cannot control what happens in their public areas, including the bars and restaurants.
The convention centre has ceilings between 3m and 6m high, with a modern ventilation system that does not recirculate air within the building.
We strongly recommend that every member wears a mask, particularly indoors or in crowded areas, such as the programme rooms.
In particular, we ask that everyone who can wears a mask while registering — we will have masks available for those who need them. We may also have areas of the Dealers’ Room and Art Show where we ask everyone who can to wear a mask, if this is requested by some of the dealers and artists.
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 the current unavailability of COVID-19 vaccines in the UK to those who have not yet been vaccinated.
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 have a limited supply of COVID-19 lateral flow tests available at registration for those who do not have tests of their own.
We will not require proof of a negative test at time of badge pickup or for spot checking.
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 or any member of your household have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or 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 not encroach on someone’s space who has asked you to stay 2 metres away, and nor may you yell at someone who is not wearing an FFP2 mask.
We will offer what assistance we can to those who are affected by any disease or illness at the convention and need to change their travel plans.
We will track reports of COVID-19 from Levitation members for at least two weeks after the convention finishes. Please do not report or speculate upon anyone else’s COVID-19 status in any private or public forum without their explicit consent.
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.
Our policy is based on the Glasgow 2024 disease mitigation policy and on National Health Service (NHS) recommendations in effect in England at time of publication, January 2024.
Do you have feedback?
If you have any questions, you can contact info@eastercon2024.co.uk.