Hello everyone!
We hope you’re excited for Anime Fusion next month! With the convention just around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to remind you all of our COVID-19 policies. With cases of the Delta variant still on the rise, we’re unable to relax our planned restrictions like we’d hoped we could. We know none of this is fun – trust us, we’d rather not be doing these things either – but it’s necessary to make it possible for us to hold an in-person convention responsibly and safely. Thank you all for your understanding and support.
1) Vaccines: Everyone at Anime Fusion, from the staff to the vendors, is required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Documentation must be shown at Registration to receive your badge. If you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, you can provide a basic note from your doctor to that effect. We will NOT ask for any details – a simple “[name] cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons” with your doctor’s name and signature is sufficient. Children who cannot be vaccinated due to their age must have a parent present at the convention to approve their attendance.
Medical restrictions and age are the only exceptions to the vaccination policy. Everyone else must provide documentation at Registration to show they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the final dose having been given by October 9th. At this point, if you have not gotten any vaccine doses, you would need to receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to meet the requirements for in-person attendance.
You may bring your physical vaccine card from the CDC or show your vaccination records from the state to receive your badge. Photos of your card will not be accepted. If you live in Minnesota, you can use the new Docket app to show proof of vaccination via your phone. You can also request paper records from MIIC, which uses the same data as Docket, but high demand is causing paper record requests to be severely delayed. We recommend using the app if you have lost your vaccine card.
As a reminder, if you are unable to join us at the convention in person, we do have a selection of programming that will be livestreamed for virtual attendees during the event.
2) Masks: Following current CDC guidelines, face masks that fully cover the mouth and nose will be required for everyone age 2 and up in all indoor convention spaces. This applies to everyone at Anime Fusion regardless of vaccination status. Masks may be removed only while eating in certain loations such as Con Fuel; these areas will be clearly marked. Cosplay pieces that completely cover the nose and mouth such as full helmets are acceptable as masks, but please carry a face mask with you for times when you may need to remove your helmet.
3) Hygiene and Distancing: For increased safety, social distancing is also encouraged while at the convention. Programming spaces will have reduced seating and maximum room capacities will be enforced. Vendor room layouts have been revised to reduce crowding. All function spaces will have hand sanitizer stations available for people to use as needed. Shared equipment such as video game controllers and microphones will be sanitized between uses. For this year alone, we will not have official room parties and will not be serving rice in Con Fuel. Ramen will still be available along with other individually packaged snacks that do not require large open containers.
4) Event Capacity: A strict attendance cap of 1500 attendees has been set for this year to prevent the convention from becoming overcrowded. This is higher than our average attendance, and we do plan to have registration at the door, but it is possible we may hit our limit during the weekend. Registration will be cut off immediately if the cap is reached. Announcements will be made online if this happens, so please check the website before traveling if you plan to buy your badge at the event.
Thank you all for your patience during what will certainly be an unusual year for Anime Fusion.
Heather Bufkin
Convention Chair
Anime Fusion 2021