We are aware that for many attendees this will be your first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 global pandemic started and that some of you may be anxious about being around a lot of people. The following measures are in place to help you all feel a little more at ease: 

1. Outdoor seating will be available during meal times.
2. You may collect a sticker to attached to your badge at reception to indicate your preference:    
   
3. To help ensure a successful event with little or no transmission of COVID-19, all participants* when indoors will be required to wear a face covering that is consistent with CDC masking guidelines found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/types-of-.... Masks must be worn covering the nose and mouth and may be lowered briefly while eating or drinking. Masks with exhalation valves, vents, or other openings are not permitted; respirators must be limited to filtering facepiece respirators, such as N95s. Any participant needing accommodation should contact rubin2022-covid@lists.lsst.org at least one week before the meeting.
4. Organizers encourage all attendees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before attending the event. Up to date means a person has received all recommended primary series COVID-19 vaccines, and a booser does where eligible.
5. Seating: to create more space between seats we will emimate tables the breakout rooms creating space to move around without squeezing past anyone and seats will either be placed apart or every other chair will be made not available with an "X". You can also bring your own polite sign, stuffed animal, or another personal object to keep chairs on either side of you empty—we will try to respect your wishes but if demand exceeds room capacity it may not be possible to limit seating in this way.
6. Surgical masks will be available at the registration desk

*note that the hotel staff are not mandated to wear masks as the CDC does not require it where transmission level is Medium - as is the case for the venue location. For hotel safety and cleanliness infomation refer to their webpage: https://clean.marriott.com/

If there is anything else that you can think of that might be useful please send an email to Ranpal Gill (rgill at lsst dot org). 

What if there is a positive case?

If you start to have Covid symptoms and/or have a positive test at any time during the week of the meeting you should not attend the meeting until you have a confirmation of a negative Covid test. If you test positive you should inform the Covid response team by email at Rubin2022-covid at lists dot lsst dot org and if possible provide the names of attendees you may have been in close contact with, they will be informed. The need for close contacts to quarantine will be determined by the CDC recommendations and individuals will be advised and guided by the Safety Manager. Participants should bring their own self-tests where possible, these are available for free on most US health insurance plans (or can be purchased from the nearest Pharmacy). We plan to have a limited supply of self-tests available if needed urgently or for those that don't have access to tests.

If you test positive before you travel please don't attend the meeting. We can refund your registration fee upon your request. Unfortunately, for non-Rubin staff attendees, we cannot help with travel related costs that may not be refundable.

What about unvaccinated participants?

We require attendees who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, as defined by CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html, to wear a mask at all times and to keep a distance of at least 6ft/2m from other participants.

Attendees arriving from outside of the United States should review government travel guidance to confirm eligibility and requirements for travel. See Travel.State.gov.

Do you have additional suggestions? Send them to Ranpal Gill by email at rgill at lsst dot org.