In a not totally head-scratching decision, Los Angeles Comic Con has announced they are going forward with an in-person event in December. It’ll be one of the first conventions in Southern California to do so. The new dates for the convention are December 11-13 pushing things back from its normal October schedule. Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, September 29.
Chris DeMoulin, the general manager of Los Angeles Comic Con stated:
Over the past six months, we’ve been struggling with a very important question: “Should we even ATTEMPT to have L.A. Comic Con in 2020?
Since March, we’ve been living in some version of a ‘Lockdown/Safer at Home’ world, trying hard to stay safe, hoping and praying for the health and safety of ourselves, our family, friends, neighbors and all of our fellow human beings. We’re wearing masks, keeping socially distant, and remaining thankful for frontline workers, hospital personnel and everyone working hard to make a difference.
And yet, we all yearn for just a little bit of normality, to reclaim some aspects of our lives pre-COVID.
Precautions are being taken,
The convention will utilize more space renting the entire convention center allowing greater distancing for attendees. Activities like shopping, main stage guests, autographs/photographis will have their own hall within the convention center.
There will also be “split schedules” with each day divided into two five-hour sessions with “deep cleaning” before, between, and after each.
There will be fewer fans with the number of tickets sold for a given single session being half the number of fans allowed into the hall in the past.
There will also be a dual virtual experience with main panels being live-streamed for anyone that doesn’t feel safe or wants to mix up their physical and virtual experiences.
Add in plans for limiting lines, requiring masks, six feet social distancing, the organizers feel like they can hold the convention safely.
As has happened with other conventions, it doesn’t mean this will absolutely go on. If the event is canceled, all tickets will be honored for the next Los Angeles Comic Con.
California has been seeing mixed results in cases lately with Los Angeles being one of the more active centers of infection. While infections are lower than they were in July and August, the state still has a long way to go.
Currently, Los Angeles County is considered “widespread” which means schools and nonessential businesses are supposed to remain closed. The hospitalizations have been steady with 1,000 new cases and 23 deaths per day. While the area has seen a dip since July, it hasn’t seen the flatten line of infections to show conditions are improving. The California Health Department currently has ordered convention centers in Los Angeles County to remain closed.
