ReedPOP says Emerald City Comic Con 2020 will continue as planned, as coronavirus concerns worsen

The show must go on.

Over the weekend, while C2E2 was in full-swing in Chicago, the convention’s organizers, ReedPOP, issued a statement regarding their next con, Emerald City Comic Con, and concerns over whether the con would be cancelled given the current coronavirus concerns across the country. ECCC, according to ReedPOP, will continue as planned from March 12th through the 15th at the Washington State Convention Center, in downtown Seattle. Additionally, con organizers are working with the convention center to implement “enhanced cleaning and sanitization”, following CDC and EPA guidelines regarding emerging pathogens:

ECCC 2020 will take place as scheduled March 12th
-15th at the Washington State Convention
Center (WSCC) in downtown Seattle. We have implemented enhanced cleaning and
sanitization across the show, including adhering to the recommendations set forth in the U.S.
EPA’s Emerging Pathogen Policy regarding cleaning disinfectants effective against the COVID19 virus. We are working closely with the WSCC and our other venue partners and aligning with
local, state and federal public health guidelines and agencies. As ECCC approaches we will be
constantly reviewing our health protection activities, public health messaging, hygiene and
medical control measures with the aim of strengthening our COVID-19 response further in line
with up to date public health advice and guidance, including that of the CDC.

The statement came hours after Washington governor Jay Inslee declared an emergency in the state, following the second coronavirus-related death in Seattle’s King County. Just this morning, three more deaths in the Seattle area related to coronavirus were announced. The four most recent victims of the virus were all older residents of the same nursing facility in Kirkland, WA, northeast of Seattle.

The spread of coronavirus has already impacted con-goers, with many pros and exhibitors limiting physical contact with fans at C2E2. ECCC’s intention to implement more sanitization around the convention center is reassuring, though those measures are only effective when they’re diligently followed, and wrangling nearly 100,000 people over four days to consistently wash their hands, cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze (preferably into their elbow and now their hands), and use hand sanitizer is no small task.

More on this as it continues to develop.