Covid-conscious, and want to attend a wicked fun event in Bah-stin? It’s Easy-ah at Arisia!
Arisia is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to promoting science fiction and fantasy, which holds a convention in Boston every January. Artists are generally considered to be compassionate, and we know that’s true! Like other art world organizations’ events, including the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo/M.I.C.E. and Anthro New England, Arisia continues to follow science- and compassion-informed Covid policies.
From their 2026 event webpage:
“A major factor in all of Arisia’s decisions about COVID policy is how to make our events accessible for the largest number of people. We want to be clear both with our words and with our actions that we value the members of our community who are medically vulnerable, immunocompromised or elderly. To that end, we have decided that for Arisia 2026 we will continue to require masks without an exhalation vent over the nose and mouth in convention spaces for all attendees including those in Youth Services. A minimum of a surgical mask is required. We strongly encourage people to use N95, KN95, KF-94 or FFP2 masks whenever possible.”
Arisia’s policies include limited, posted mask-optional spaces, and vaccination is strongly encouraged. Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes helped defray the effects of insufficient ventilation (measured by an attendee’s Aranet) with free-standing HEPA filtration. They have a particularly robust and detailed testing, reporting and isolation policy for staff, volunteers and attendees, with clear instructions for handling exposure or positive test results before, during or after the event, including the ability to roll 2026 registration over to a future event. Failure to comply with their policies is considered a violation of Arisia’s Code of Conduct.
“We understand that at this point in the pandemic, it is rare for events to require masks. Though this may pose an inconvenience for some of our attendees, it will enable more of Arisia’s convention-goers to attend. We know that there will probably be some people who are not safe in even a masked crowd and who still won’t be able to join us, but we believe this decision means a larger portion of our community will be able to be present. After the last few years, that’s what matters the most to us. We look to our community to help us stop the spread of illnesses. Thank you all for helping keep our community safe so that we can all have a fun convention.”
If only medical conventions would follow this excellent example of event safety.
Event planners need only acknowledge that circulating diseases of public health concern are airborne, and follow their lead. It’s not complicated – it’s easy-ah at Arisia!
