We intend to host a hybrid conference with both in-person and virtual options, while closely monitoring Covid-19 developments. We will follow the recommendations of the CDC and Arizona Department of Health Services. As such, we are establishing mitigation methods to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The protocols that will apply to all those who attend the meetings are:
- All who attend in person must have completed a vaccination series that is accepted by national and/or international health and safety agencies. If you are not vaccinated or cannot be vaccinated, we have a virtual option that will allow you to participate in the conference program.
- All who attend in person must wear face masks properly when indoors (i.e. over mouth and nose) except while eating, drinking, and/or presenting. When outdoors, social distancing should be maintained.
- This means all audience members must remain masked throughout the entire session and are discouraged from having food and drink during the panels.
- We also ask that attendees keep their masks on while getting their coffee, snacks, or other food, and only remove their mask when necessary. We also encourage everyone to have conversations, coffee, and/or snacks outside as much as possible.
- Please also wear your mask throughout the hotel property and only remove it in your hotel room.
- The meetings coordinator and hotel staff reserve the right to refuse physical access to any session or event to anyone who refuses to follow these rules. If this becomes necessary, the meetings coordinator will ensure that any attendee refused physical access is provided all the necessary information to access that event/session virtually.
We have planned for and arranged several mitigation strategies, which include, but are not limited to:
- All panels have been moved to larger rooms with seating layouts that adhere to CDC spacing recommendations between individuals.
- Holding as many events as possible outdoors, especially those with food and drink. This includes: the Friday night reception, coffee breaks, graduate student dinner, women’s luncheon, and the president’s party.
- Plenary sessions and the banquet will be held in the largest ballroom the hotel has available with spacing between seats and tables that meet or exceed the CDC requirements. The banquet seating will be limited to 6 people per table, spread out appropriately.
- The hotel has pledged to clean heavily used surfaces and keep doors open to allow for as much ventilation as possible during the meeting. The hotel has informed us that more than 90% of their staff are fully vaccinated, including all of their event staff. Event staff will wear masks at all points during our meeting.
- The hotel also assures us that the main meeting spaces and common areas will not be occupied by any other group during our stay at the conference.
Finally, hotel reservations at the conference rate close on September 27, and pre-registration for in-person attendance will end on October 10. Please ensure you have reserved your room and registered by those dates. We will keep the virtual option open until the conference ends, and we will have on-site registration, though at a higher rate. More information can be found on the EHA website in the Meetings section. Please reach out to the meetings coordinator at Jeremy.land@helsinki.fi if you have any questions or concerns.
If you wish to keep abreast of the latest information regarding Covid-19 in Arizona, here is the link to the Arizona Department of Health Services: https://www.azdhs.gov/covid19/data/index.php.