Since we returned in 2022 to having in-person conventions, our disease mitigation policy has required attendees to wear a mask (with some exemptions), and requested that you are vaccinated if possible and also have a negative antigen test before the convention.

We are still fine-tuning our disease mitigation policy for 2025. However, we will once again be requiring attendees to wear a mask during the convention. 

We appreciate that some of you are unhappy with our masking policy, but Octocon feels strongly that this simple measure goes a long way towards protecting everyone in our community from illness, and ensures that our more vulnerable members can attend the convention too.

The same measures that have protected us against Covid-19, such as vaccinations, testing and masks, also help protect us against other illnesses such as flus and colds, and we have anecdotally seen a decrease in cases of common con-crud over the past few years of masked conventions.

As always, we accommodate legitimate exemptions such as medical conditions. We do not need details, but we will request that you inform the registration desk so that we can mark your badge accordingly.

We aim to publish a definitive policy by the end of May 2025. In the meantime, you can refer to our 2024 policy for more details on how we have implemented masking and related measures in previous years.