Vaccination
All ComSciCon attendees, organizers, speakers and panelists must have received all doses of the Covid-19 vaccine (plus booster shots when eligible), or have received an exemption from vaccination in order to participate in the ComSciCon 2022 Flagship workshop. People who wish to receive an exemption should contact the organizing staff. A list of accepted COVID-19 vaccines can be found in the CDC guidelines. All participants are furthermore expected to follow all MIT policies.
Testing
All participants are required to take a Covid test within 48 hours before entering the workshop venue and dormitories for the first time. Participants will be asked to attest that they have received a negative result. You must provide your own test for this purpose (both PCR and rapid antigen tests are acceptable).
Additionally, all participants will be required to take a rapid antigen test each morning of the workshop before arriving at the venue. ComSciCon will provide these daily tests to participants upon arrival, and each morning participants will be asked to attest that they have received a negative result.
Masks
All participants are required to wear a N95, KN95, or FFp2 mask at all times when indoors. ComSciCon will provide KN95 masks to participants upon arrival.
Reporting symptoms
If at any time during the workshop, participants develop symptoms of COVID-19, they should isolate and get tested. The organizing staff will have additional rapid tests available for this occasion.
In case of a positive test
If a participant tests positive, they should isolate and inform an organizer as soon as possible. If a participant is experiencing symptoms and/or has tested positive, they will be given the option to attend ComSciCon workshop activities via Zoom. Grad student attendees will have the option to complete their 5-day quarantine in the Maseeh Hall dorms. If the attendee is in a double occupancy dorm, then the person who tested positive will be moved as soon as possible to another room with a designated bathroom.
ComSciCon will be able to support three nights of accommodation for all attendees – payment for any additional nights that attendees need to spend in the MIT dorms must be made to ComSciCon via check. Requests for exceptions will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Eating & drinking
Participants are encouraged to take their food and drink outdoors, to the large grassy area and picnic tables just outside of the MIT Stratton Student Center. If meals must be consumed indoors (e.g. in the event of bad weather), all windows will be opened and participants will be asked to only remove their masks when actively eating or drinking.
Ventilation
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, MIT undertook an extensive assessment of the ventilation systems in all on-campus spaces (including bathrooms and elevators), and has updated them accordingly. More details about this process can be found here. Additionally, the venue for ComSciCon 2022 has large external windows which will be kept open (weather permitting) to further increase air circulation.