Coronavirus is seemingly everywhere and people are taking extra precautions to fight the virus. Part of keeping people safe is also keeping people from congregating together. Unfortunately that means that some of the things we were most looking forward to must be cancelled or postponed. Emerald City Comic Con sent out an announcement today that until things are more under control they will be postponing their convention. Which is also one of the biggest comic conventions in the Washington area. Originally scheduled to take place March 12-15 at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle they will be moving the convention to a later undetermined date. Fans and attendees will be refunded the cost of their tickets.
Here’s the official statement:
Each year the Emerald City Comic Con team works their hardest to do right by the thousands of fans that come together in Seattle. We want to create a space for you to gather, be yourselves and make memories with those who matter to you most. We have been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus in Seattle, and, after many hours of conversation internally and consultation with local government officials and the tourism bureau, we have decided to move next week’s Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date and detail announcement forthcoming. We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed.
Our hearts go out to the entire Seattle community, everyone impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and all of you, the nearly 100,000 amazing human beings who look forward to this event each year. Our team was incredibly excited to see you at Emerald City Comic Con next week, however, fans, artists, exhibitors and the rest of the community are what make Reedpop events so special and it is our duty to make sure that your safety comes first.
We know that this decision is going to greatly impact many of our individual creators, small businesses and service workers. To those whose careers depend on ECCC – we will do everything that we can over the coming days and weeks to highlight your work and we ask that our entire community support you as we realize your personal livelihoods may be impacted.
To all of our fans – you will receive a refund on your tickets, no further action is needed on your part. Due to the volume, we expect you will receive your refund in 30 days. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
If you are planning on attending a convention this year and it hasn’t been cancelled, here are a few safety tips that you can follow to make sure you are safe.
- Wash Your Hands often
- Don’t touch your face
- Sanitize everything(doorknobs etc)
- Wear a facemask and gloves if you are sick
- If you know you are sick or are beginning to feel sick leave or abstain from attending
