Gary Con & Grand Geneva Actions to Mitigate Risk at GC XII
There is a lot of attention on infectious diseases this cold and flu season, including COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus), and we have addressed several attendees questions about it. We wanted to let everyone know publicly how we are working with the Grand Geneva staff to take actions to mitigate the risk of contracting an infectious disease while at the Grand Geneva Resort to celebrate Gary Con.
- It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and the CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine, taking everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed. Please read these carefully and follow them. These are relatively simple and believed to be the best defense against infection diseases. Good hygiene and proper hand washing are a must.
- Individuals and communities should familiarize themselves with recommendations to protect themselves and their communities from getting and spreading respiratory illnesses like coronavirus disease 2019.
- Older people and people with severe chronic conditions should take special precautions because they are at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.
- If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure.
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If you are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, and especially the two main, known symptoms of COVID-19, a high fever and a dry cough, that you stay home. It is important that you not expose others to the risk of getting sick because you decided to disregard their health and safety.
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If you live in a community where Coronavirus cases have been documented and you may have been exposed to it, we would ask you to weigh your attendance vs. possibly exposing other attendees. Be aware that people infected with the Coronavirus can be contageous with no external symptoms for an extended period of time.
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If you suffer from chronic conditions, possess a compromised immune system, are recovering from a major illness or hospitalization or have respiratory issues we urge you to consult with your medical provider before deciding to attend Gary Con. If you are in a higher risk category please strongly consider staying home this year.
Due to the recent issues surrounding the Coronavirus, as a precaution we have introduced enhancedprevention measures and cleaning protocols to ensure the highest safety standards. Our actions areconsistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), best practices within thehospitality industry and our Corporate risk management team.
The CDC continues to emphasize that, at this time, the Coronavirus poses low risk ofexposure to most people in the U.S. The well-being of our guests and associates is a top priority. Whilewe don’t foresee any issues with Gary Con, we are monitoring the situation very closely and areprepared to take additional steps as new information and best practices emerge.
Steps we have taken to date:
• Educated our managers and associates per guidelines and information provided by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which included:
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
What to Do if You Are Sick with Coronavirus
Stop The Spread of Germs
Symptoms of CoronavirusContained within this information are reminders for associates on proper hand hygiene,
what the symptoms look like, to stay home if sick and the importance of properly
cleaning high-touch surfaces.To support the communication of the above information, posters have been placed in all
associate areas.
• Enhanced hotel cleaning guidelines specific to Coronavirus have been created by our
partners at Ecolab which is being used to retrain staff. This includes increasing frequency
with which public areas are cleaned.
• Associates are being retrained on the proper use of personal protective equipment to
include gloves, goggles and masks.
• Antibacterial soap has been provided in all public area bathrooms and associate locker
rooms and hand sanitizer stations have been placed in public areas.We hope that the above measures address any concerns regarding the proper handling of the Coronavirus.
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Gary Con is about family, friends and fellow game aficionados coming together to celebrate the life and works of Gary Gygax. By taking these reasonable steps we feel confident that Gary Con XII will be great experience for everyone! We look forward to welcoming you to Gary Con in Lake Geneva in just a few days from now.
The Gary Con Staff
Good to err on the side of caution. I am already pretty germ-phobic after being hit with MRSA ten years ago, and MSSA two years ago: two months in the hospital each time! I carry hand sanitizer everywhere I go, and will be packing antibiotics, too. This “pandemic” may turn out to be a return of the Spanish flu of 1919 – or just an example of fake news panic – but I don’t think we will know one way or the other before Gary Con. So congratulations for taking serious steps to meet the threat.
In the instance that someone is in the aforementioned high risk groups and err’s on the side of caution OR someone may have been exposed to COVID-19 is there going to be an extended refund policy put into place for tickets?
The refund policy is no refunds after December 31st, 2019. That remains in effect as it has each year. Resources have been committed to bringing the celebration from plans to concrete items such as printed materials, contracted commitments to space, food and beverage, merchandise ordered, event space set up, renting equipment, travel etc. Thank you for asking in case others were wondering and were not familiar with the policies.
With confirmed cases in Wisconsin of Covid-19 and the continued spread of the outbreak in the U.S.. I’ve seen other events and cons being cancelled. Is there a chance of this event being cancelled as well?
If someone running a game decides not to attend, will people that have signed up for the game be notified immediately or at that time?
If we are unable to get refunds, are there at least arrangements to get the merch that was part of the badge?
I was very much hoping you would postpone this for a different weekend. You posted this on March 7th and I think it’s time to realize how different the picture is now less than a week later. Things have changed drastically in that time and the punishing nature of exponential outbreaks would tell us that they will change even more in the next week. As I spoke to my friends in Europe last night they were amidst the first days of complete shutdowns in their countries in Northern Europe and were quite upset. Most experts feel we are 7-10 days behind those countries. So with the state of Wisconsin having declared a state of emergency yesterday, the university system cancelling classes, the CDC urging large gatherings and non-mandatory travel to cease, and with the NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA, PGA cancelling seasons, why is it that Garycon feels it is wiser than those organizations and is so invulnerable to the current crisis, so much so it is willing to risk lives?
In light of the other socially responsible decisions to help halt the spread of this pandemic, has there been an update regarding this event?
Have there been vendor cancellations? And have many event host cancelled?
With the Cancellation of so many events and with many schools and businesses Telling their employees and students not to come to work or school until next month will GaryCon be closing/canceling?
There is officially a state of emergency. Will the con continue or is it going ot be canceled or postponed? I need to know to see if I can refund my hotel and cnacle my vacation time at work.
Yes!