PyCon US organizers share our community’s concerns regarding event safety and want PyCon US to be an event that everyone feels safe attending. PyCon US is exceptional in that we have people attending from all over the world—last year, we had people attending from 58 different countries! We love that people bring their unique perspectives, but this also means that local germs, viruses, or COVID strains can also be carried to the event.
In light of ongoing health considerations, the PyCon US Health & Safety Guidelines highly encourage all attendees to wear masks throughout the conference spaces where distancing cannot be maintained, and expect voluntary testing by attendees.
We’ve had conversations with the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center about the building’s ventilation and air quality, which includes minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filters of 13 in each of its air handlers; the CDC standard is MERV 13.
Our masking standard is the same as our 2025 event, and we expect that all attendees continue to respect those who choose to wear a mask and their boundaries.
Masks are Encouraged but not Required
Masks:
- All attendees are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) while indoors, especially in crowded or enclosed spaces.
- Complimentary masks will be available at the registration desk and throughout the venue for all attendees.
Additional Health Information:
- Hand sanitizing stations will be available at key locations.
- Local health guidelines regarding capacity limits and social distancing (wherever possible) will be followed.
- Outdoor areas for eating will be available, weather permitting.
- We expect you to respect fellow attendees’ boundaries if they request increased physical distance.
Compliance:
- We ask all attendees to respect this policy and support one another in maintaining a safe environment.
- Failure to respect others and their boundaries may result in a Code of Conduct Violation.
Vaccinations are Encouraged
We encourage PyCon US attendees to stay up to date with the vaccinations that are available to them where they live. We know that PyCon US attendees are coming from all over the world, and the availability of current vaccines is extremely different from place to place. We encourage and trust you to do your best.
Rapid Tests Are Encouraged
We encourage PyCon US attendees to use at-home/antigen/rapid tests before they arrive, while they are at PyCon US, and before departing from PyCon US. We will be providing free additional rapid tests, as supplies permit, to anyone who needs them in the staff office.
Easy Refunds
We expect people to stay home if they may be contagious. If you are feeling sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, influenza, measles, or other communicable diseases, or test positive for COVID-19, influenza, measles, or other communicable diseases before the start of the conference, or on any day of the conference, please contact us at pycon-reg@python.org, and we will grant you a refund minus a small processing and administrative fee.
No Rollback
PyCon US reserves the right to increase the requirements of this policy based on communicable disease conditions as reported by the CDC or similar public health body. We may also be required to alter our policy to conform to local, state, or federal mandates.
We promise not to downgrade our Health & Safety policy between now and the event to allow community members to make decisions about attending with confidence that this policy won’t be weakened between when they buy a ticket or submit a talk and when the conference takes place.
By working together and following these guidelines, we can create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to the health and safety of our community. We look forward to welcoming you to Long Beach, CA!