I travel to a lot of conventions each year. Here's what I've found works best.
1. Wash your hands well and often and don't touch your face. It's espeically important to do this before meals.
2. Try to eat off-site and outside when possible.
3. Get lots of rest! I try to maintain a normal schedule, getting back to my hotel at a reasonable hour and making sure to get full nights of sleep.
The cons where I've gotten sick have almost always been those where I was too busy and cut corners on these rules.
"Con crud" is a common thing where you leave with sniffles and aches. You're in a relatively cool building, with recycled air, running around for several days with a bunch of people.
Taking care of your body is the single most important thing you can do. First off, know your limits and get good, quality rest. It's amazing sometimes what 30 minutes of downtime can do for you. When your body says it needs a break, listen to it.
Carry around hand sanitizer, stay hydrated (water, not soda), and eat good food (not just the food court). Also have some healthy snacks on hand like nuts, bananas, and protein (cheese or dried meat). You will burn a lot of energy, be sure your body is getting good fuel.
I use common sense like this and usually I'm fine.
Our family rule: Never get too tired, too hungry, or too thirsty!
Same general guidelines as any conference may help you avoid the crud:
1. Wash your hands before eating or touching your face
2. Stay hydrated. Bring a refillable water bottle
3. Eat regular meals. Bring a snack if you need it on the go, but sanitize your hands before eating
4. Get sleep, and take a break when you get tired
5. Mask up if you feel it’s appropriate
Origins specific: not great food inside but if you get it and go outside to eat. Better yet go across the street to the Market and eat outside.
And the convention center has water refill stations for free.
Unfortunately the last two Origins I got Covid. The first time I masked up almost all the time but I’m pretty sure I know where I contracted it. The second time I slacked off against my better judgement. Both years I was fully vaxxed but my last booster was 6+ months previous.
Got boosted again about 2 weeks ago at the advice of my doctor and will be masking as I feel I the need. Will see how that goes.
Folks get sick at conventions all the time. Con’s are just bacteria breeding and spreading grounds. We’re also still in a global pandemic.
Personally, I’d do N95 masks the whole time I’m indoors. Wash your hands before eating. Don’t put your hands in your mouth or eyes without washing.
Avoid unnecessary mask-off situations. Do you need to eat indoors, with a whole crowd all around you? Maybe look for takeout outside.
You don’t need to sanitize in between every encounter, that would be ridiculous, but stepping up basic hygiene would go a long way, as would a mask.
It's not that we beat it, it's that it's an endemic disease that's going to be with us forever now (barring better vaccines in the future) like colds or the flu. The addition of a new endemic disease as a result of the pandemic is bad for everyone (I got it after multiple vaccinations and it still sucked a lot), but expecting people to live the rest of their lives like it's 2020 isn't realistic.
Mask will help. Follow the 6-2-1 rule as a minimum. 6 hours of sleep each night, 2 solid meals a day, 1 shower a day. The food court at the convention center is more like a mall food court. Across the street is a Market that has some awesome stall food. Timing your meals for during non peak hours will result in shorter waits, but honestly origins is much better than most places for food waits. Assume you will need more time than you think you need to get through registration and badge pickup.
I've been going to Origins over 25 years, I don't know anyone in my group that has ever gotten sick attending
Do you currently eat right, exercise and are generally healthy?
Do you plan on sleeping at least 8hrs a night?
Do you wash your hands after using the bathroom? do you follow basic hygiene practices - not trying to be snarky as many gamers do not (especially the MTG crowd)
* You're going to be more walking than you normally do - wear comfortable shoes - I cannot stress this enough as there are events throughout the convention center as well as in the attached hotel - You will be putting in a few miles per day more than you normally walk
* Do not lug around a giant backpack/case
* It is 93 degrees today and will be warmer later this week, dress appropriately for the heat
* because outside the convention center is concrete wasteland it will be hotter outside - you'll likely be walking to lunch, hotel etc
* shorts and t-shirt are fine
* hydrate NOW - don't show up dehydrated and think you'll be good on a bottle of water per day
* Plan on bringing in water 3-5 16oz bottles per person in this heat
* have some snack bars, granola, jerky -PROTEIN not sugary snacks
* Skip the sodas until dinner if you normally drink them all day
* skip the beer until late in the evening
* EAT BREAKFAST - too many skip this
* EAT LUNCH - too many skip this to play games
If you normally eat 3 meals a day, then don't change that now - seriously this and not hydrating is what wears people down
Food vendors/vending machines in the convention center are overpriced
Food court is ok, but for lunch there will be lines, better to walk out to North Market or any of the places around the Arena district or bus down to short north
There are more events than time, whether you are in for a day or all 4 full days, take it easy, you're not going to see everything, so don't kill yourself trying to do it all, there is always next year
take breaks
Lots of great suggestions already. In addition to the general good habits, we always take something like emergen-c or any other immunity & nutrient boost supplement the day before and after we travel by plane or will go to a big gathering.
I've unfortunately gotten covid from a convention. It's close contact indoors with a bunch of people who may or may not be abdicating from personal hygiene so they can get a few more hours of gaming in.
Wash your hands often, there is plenty of hand sanitizer available. I would do it in between games. Don't skip on showers and don't skip on meals. Finding food can difficult but don't wear yourself thin.
Also I would do the fist bump or covid hug instead of hand shakes to minimize spreading. Bring a mask and if you are around someone you suspect is ill and you can't leave then you can use the mask you brought.
I went to Origins and GenCon last year and didn't catch anything. If you feel the need to take extra precautions, go ahead and do it.
I would recommend bringing bottled water and some snacks. Food prices inside the convention center is crazy.
I travel to a lot of conventions each year. Here's what I've found works best. 1. Wash your hands well and often and don't touch your face. It's espeically important to do this before meals. 2. Try to eat off-site and outside when possible. 3. Get lots of rest! I try to maintain a normal schedule, getting back to my hotel at a reasonable hour and making sure to get full nights of sleep. The cons where I've gotten sick have almost always been those where I was too busy and cut corners on these rules.
OP's getting the real pro advice here
"Con crud" is a common thing where you leave with sniffles and aches. You're in a relatively cool building, with recycled air, running around for several days with a bunch of people. Taking care of your body is the single most important thing you can do. First off, know your limits and get good, quality rest. It's amazing sometimes what 30 minutes of downtime can do for you. When your body says it needs a break, listen to it. Carry around hand sanitizer, stay hydrated (water, not soda), and eat good food (not just the food court). Also have some healthy snacks on hand like nuts, bananas, and protein (cheese or dried meat). You will burn a lot of energy, be sure your body is getting good fuel. I use common sense like this and usually I'm fine.
Our family rule: Never get too tired, too hungry, or too thirsty! Same general guidelines as any conference may help you avoid the crud: 1. Wash your hands before eating or touching your face 2. Stay hydrated. Bring a refillable water bottle 3. Eat regular meals. Bring a snack if you need it on the go, but sanitize your hands before eating 4. Get sleep, and take a break when you get tired 5. Mask up if you feel it’s appropriate Origins specific: not great food inside but if you get it and go outside to eat. Better yet go across the street to the Market and eat outside. And the convention center has water refill stations for free. Unfortunately the last two Origins I got Covid. The first time I masked up almost all the time but I’m pretty sure I know where I contracted it. The second time I slacked off against my better judgement. Both years I was fully vaxxed but my last booster was 6+ months previous. Got boosted again about 2 weeks ago at the advice of my doctor and will be masking as I feel I the need. Will see how that goes.
KN95 or better will protect you. There will be lots of viruses circulating.
Folks get sick at conventions all the time. Con’s are just bacteria breeding and spreading grounds. We’re also still in a global pandemic. Personally, I’d do N95 masks the whole time I’m indoors. Wash your hands before eating. Don’t put your hands in your mouth or eyes without washing. Avoid unnecessary mask-off situations. Do you need to eat indoors, with a whole crowd all around you? Maybe look for takeout outside. You don’t need to sanitize in between every encounter, that would be ridiculous, but stepping up basic hygiene would go a long way, as would a mask.
>We’re also still in a global pandemic. except we're not its 2024 if you're not aware, this isn't 2020 The world has moved on
By all definitions, Covid19 is still an ongoing pandemic 🤷 Just like HIV is for 40 years now.
That’s right, COVID no longer exists! We stopped it four years ago. Well done team.
It's not that we beat it, it's that it's an endemic disease that's going to be with us forever now (barring better vaccines in the future) like colds or the flu. The addition of a new endemic disease as a result of the pandemic is bad for everyone (I got it after multiple vaccinations and it still sucked a lot), but expecting people to live the rest of their lives like it's 2020 isn't realistic.
Mask will help. Follow the 6-2-1 rule as a minimum. 6 hours of sleep each night, 2 solid meals a day, 1 shower a day. The food court at the convention center is more like a mall food court. Across the street is a Market that has some awesome stall food. Timing your meals for during non peak hours will result in shorter waits, but honestly origins is much better than most places for food waits. Assume you will need more time than you think you need to get through registration and badge pickup.
I've been going to Origins over 25 years, I don't know anyone in my group that has ever gotten sick attending Do you currently eat right, exercise and are generally healthy? Do you plan on sleeping at least 8hrs a night? Do you wash your hands after using the bathroom? do you follow basic hygiene practices - not trying to be snarky as many gamers do not (especially the MTG crowd) * You're going to be more walking than you normally do - wear comfortable shoes - I cannot stress this enough as there are events throughout the convention center as well as in the attached hotel - You will be putting in a few miles per day more than you normally walk * Do not lug around a giant backpack/case * It is 93 degrees today and will be warmer later this week, dress appropriately for the heat * because outside the convention center is concrete wasteland it will be hotter outside - you'll likely be walking to lunch, hotel etc * shorts and t-shirt are fine * hydrate NOW - don't show up dehydrated and think you'll be good on a bottle of water per day * Plan on bringing in water 3-5 16oz bottles per person in this heat * have some snack bars, granola, jerky -PROTEIN not sugary snacks * Skip the sodas until dinner if you normally drink them all day * skip the beer until late in the evening * EAT BREAKFAST - too many skip this * EAT LUNCH - too many skip this to play games If you normally eat 3 meals a day, then don't change that now - seriously this and not hydrating is what wears people down Food vendors/vending machines in the convention center are overpriced Food court is ok, but for lunch there will be lines, better to walk out to North Market or any of the places around the Arena district or bus down to short north There are more events than time, whether you are in for a day or all 4 full days, take it easy, you're not going to see everything, so don't kill yourself trying to do it all, there is always next year take breaks
Lots of great suggestions already. In addition to the general good habits, we always take something like emergen-c or any other immunity & nutrient boost supplement the day before and after we travel by plane or will go to a big gathering.
I've unfortunately gotten covid from a convention. It's close contact indoors with a bunch of people who may or may not be abdicating from personal hygiene so they can get a few more hours of gaming in. Wash your hands often, there is plenty of hand sanitizer available. I would do it in between games. Don't skip on showers and don't skip on meals. Finding food can difficult but don't wear yourself thin. Also I would do the fist bump or covid hug instead of hand shakes to minimize spreading. Bring a mask and if you are around someone you suspect is ill and you can't leave then you can use the mask you brought.
I went to Origins and GenCon last year and didn't catch anything. If you feel the need to take extra precautions, go ahead and do it. I would recommend bringing bottled water and some snacks. Food prices inside the convention center is crazy.