One of my best friends messaged me asking if I was still going to Emerald City Comic Con. Many creators have cancelled their appearances due to the outbreak. Me and my fiance had a long conversation about this and whether we wanted to put ourselves at risk by traveling. After much deliberation, we agreed to still fly to Seattle, but I would limit my four day press badge to one single day. Should Emerald City Comic Con cancel the convention entirely?
Earning the press badge for Emerald City was going to be a major highlight in 2020. Seattle is a city I have always wanted to visit. I was happy my fiance wanted to come along, so I didn’t have to travel by myself. Major disappointment hit me when I talked with my fiance about cancelling the trip.
Emerald City Comic Con is responsible for the safety of their guests. On Emerald City’s main page, it lists how they’re going to prepare for the virus by upping sanitation efforts. While this is sort of comforting, it doesn’t eliminate the mini panic I had about getting sick. The artists who cancelled had loved ones, small children or older folks who they didn’t want to put at risk. Is my trip going to endanger people I love?
Ultimately, I don’t know what the right decision is for Emerald City. Some say cancel, others say no worries. I believe in doing what’s best for you. I have stopped reading random internet articles about Corona Virus because there’s so much panic and inaccurate information spreading. I’m monitoring the Seattle State Health Department along with the CDC for updates and that’s about it.
Feel free to weigh your thoughts in the comments, should Emerald City Comic Con cancel their show?
Bizarre Brunette 
Honestly? I think cancelling it would be the right move. You and I were talking on twitter the other day about what it’s like for me as someone with chronic illnesses to go to events like this and I can tell you that everyone is going to be on super high alert. Seasonal allergies are starting to come in and there are other conditions like rhinitis and asthma, all of which I have, that will have people sniffing, sneezing and coughing. I can tell you from experience that I get even just sitting in a doctors waiting room, you know a place where SICK PEOPLE will be, that I get dirty looks for blowing my nose etc. With an epidemic like this happening and everyone stuck in enclosed spaces people’s paranoia will be amped up to the max. It’s going to be a powder keg and whether someone’s actually sick with the virus or something else it’s not going to take much for someone to go off.
We also have no idea how effective the precautions that the Con have put in place will be. Everything we know about epidemics is based on theories and plans. Over here in the UK people are panic buying and the situation isn’t even as dire as it is in Seattle, so I can’t see the Con officials calming saying to folk ‘you’ve had your allotted amount of X antibacterial product, no more for you’ without there being a problem.
Other Cons have successfully rescheduled before and while it’s a massive hassle, in the long run, I think it’s a much safer option for everyone involved.
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I completely agree with you. I realize now that it’s not about me. It’s about people I am surrounding myself with. With my new job, I do have the option of working from home if needed which is a privilege. If I did get Corona Virus, I would be able to work from home. However, I need to be socially responsible for others who don’t have the best immune system and I’m privleged to have a pretty good one.
I am pretty impressed with the con for doing this, but with moving the convention that’s difficult too. I knew I could go to the con in March, but will other creators get screwed out of a refund because they technically “haven’t cancelled yet”
It’s a mess of a situation and I’m hoping ECC will do the right thing.
I appreciate our conversation as it helped put things in perspective for me. Thank you
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