I'm in the state of Indiana, the state is planing a Indy Car open wheel race on 7/4. The race will pull thousands and maybe (because of the Indy 500 being moved) up to hundreds of thousands of people. If that rave goes off Gen Con will be on. Indy is very good at hoasting large events and can pull off the Social Distancing.
It was leaked hours ago that CDC computer models project 3000 dead per day by June. I think we should pause a moment to let the horror of that sink in.
I give it a 25% chance of Gencon happening.
No one is debating Indy's skill in hosting large events. What we're debating is whether or not Indy will have met the conditions for opening back up, and if it will be safe for people to come in based on what is happening in Indy at the time, which is what we've all be talking about. We also have to wonder about it being safe for the citizens of Indy to have tens of thousands of people coming in from all over, from places that may or may not be doing okay with Covid-19 management. Major events are a double edged sword for Indy at the moment; they bring in a ton of revenue and tourist dollars, but they may also spread sickness into Indy even after Indy has a handle on their own issues.
You are saying Indy can pull off social distancing and I want to know how. How can you social distance all the spectators at a major sporting even in a stadium? Don't just think about limiting the number of seats. Think about the limited space in passage ways, the food and concession lines, the restroom lines, entry and exit points, etc. Those are all logistical things that need a clearly communicated plan that everyone understands and follows. Gencon gets tens of thousands of people in the convention center every day, moving through and heading to different parts of the convention center at different times. The foot traffic in the hallways is dense even in "uncrowded" areas. The exhibit hall is literally wall to wall people; if there's a corner in the exhibit hall where you can hold your arms out and spin around without hitting someone, I haven't found it. Single entry points and limited numbers for access might help, but you still need to be close to interact with vendors. The very nature of most games involves sitting at a table with people in a way that doesn't really fit with social distancing guidelines. I hate to say it, but I'm not really sure social distancing is feasible or even possible with large group events.
If conditions remain as set in the model and the numbers prove accurate, I imagine we'll see some states extend their stay at home orders or reinstate them. Where that leaves GenCon depends on what happens. Right now, GenCon continues as scheduled, so I'm planning accordingly.
Mike
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Seriously, if you're thinking about wearing a Covid-themed cosplay to Gen Con, or anywhere for that matter, I'd urge you to consider Wheaton's Law.
Posting precisely what Mike told you not to post is never a good idea. Nor is threatening to widen the discussion, or posting how someone's facts are off. (Those of you that were being funny, your posts had to be deleted because they contained a post that had to be deleted, and you knew that going in. Sorry, it's called splash damage.)
Roderick Robertson Forum Coordinator Gen Con, LLC.
As far as other ICC events go, Indiana Comic Con announced today that their con couldn't go forward with its June 26-28 dates (which were themselves products of rescheduling), but that was because those dates fell a week short of the July 4th target date for reopening.
Posting epidemiology data and adding the words "I love Gen Con" do not make it okay. And gratuitous insults won't be tolerated.
Can somebody please explain to me why citing up to date coronavirus statistics for Marion County Indiana does not belong in this thread? Gen Con is held in Marion County, Indiana. This thread is about Gen Con. This thread is about coronavirus. Seems pretty specific to me.
???????? https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/indiana-coronavirus-cases.html