CHICAGO—As much of the country grapples with harsh winter weather, a new challenge is emerging for trade show organizers. A potential “triple outbreak” of COVID-19, combined with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), has health officials and the general public on high alert once again.
“Crowds of maskless people are gathering and we are reminded that coronavirus is not the only disease that spreads between people in close contact with each other,” said Amanda Schleede, CEO of Attend Safe. “Although available, flu vaccines are not reaching as many people as some hope.”
This season is more difficult on the COVID front too, she said. “The difference between now and the previous two winters is that instead of one dominant strain of the COVID-19 virus, there are multiple variants of concern. And Americans are not getting the new Omicron vaccine, which has proven more effective, including in preventing deaths, as quickly as experts had hoped — and in far fewer numbers than would achieve the “herd immunity” officials have dreamed of since 2020.”
Public health officials in cities where COVID transmission levels have risen to medium or high, including Los Angeles and New York, are urging people to wear masks indoors, and trade show organizers are tasked with reevaluating their safety protocols in light of emerging conditions. Some shows, including the giant Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from Jan. 5-8, are now encouraging attendees on their websites to get an annual flu shot..
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Organizers of the Space Tech Expo, which will be held in Long Beach, California, from May 2 to 4, are not reinstating any mask-wearing guidelines, but are asking exhibitors to submit the control measures they will put in place to limit transmission at their booths.
Becky Fox, MSN, RN-BC, founder of Vital Circle, said that while her company can offer Flu and RSV testing is done onsite, the vast majority of requests from trade show organisers are for COVID testing. She advises organisations to have contingency plans in place as numbers increase.
“You want to be able to adapt event experiences and reduce the risk of exposure and/or spread of disease, such as moving meetings to a larger room with better ventilation or moving an indoor event to an outdoor environment,” Fox said.
Others continue to enforce the rigorous vaccination and mask-wearing protocols that many thought had now disappeared. The annual meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)which will be held March 15-18 in Portland, Oregon. Not only willVaccination is required for all attendees before picking up their registration badge, but all attendees, presenters, and vendors working at the meeting are required to wear masks indoors.
“Our staff working at the meeting will be fully vaccinated, but we are not legally able to require staff at the local convention center or hotel to be vaccinated,” Leslie Zeck, CMP, CMM, HMCC, Meetings Director, AADOCR and the International Association for Dental Research, “We are working with local entities in Portland to develop on-site protocols in accordance with CDC guidelines, including requiring all local convention center staff to wear masks.”
Contact Amanda Schlede at amanda@attendsafe.com; Becky Fox at becky.fox@vitalcircle.health; Leslie Zeck at lzeck@iadr.org