Health and Safety Measures


Health and Safety Measures

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COVID-19 Precautions

The health and safety of Main Street Now Conference attendees are our top priorities. In light of COVID-19, we are closely monitoring recommendations from the CDC, state, and local health authorities around maintaining the safest environment possible for conference attendees.

These Conference Safety Terms & Conditions are subject to change at any time. You should consult CDC, state, and local health authorities for additional guidance applicable to your personal circumstances, including any order recommending or requiring you to quarantine after travel or after a possible or confirmed exposure to COVID-19. To the extent any federal, state, or local law requires safeguards in addition to those required in these Safety Terms & Conditions, you should follow them. You should also review policies and procedures from the hotels prior to your attendance at the conference.

Overview

All Main Street Now Conference attendees will be required to either provide proof of vaccination and booster, or a negative COVID-19 test. Vaccines are strongly recommended for all attendees. In addition to vaccinations and testing, we will follow strict health protocols on-site, including requiring face coverings and implementing social distancing protocols. Find additional COVID-19 guidelines and precautions from the Richmond Marriott Downtown here and Hilton Richmond Downtown here.

Please note that Conference attendees must review and acknowledge Terms & Conditions and COVID-19 Liability Waiver prior to attending the Conference.

VACCINATION PROOF

TESTING

FACE COVERINGS

SOCIAL DISTANCING

SELF-CHECK

Proof of Vaccination

  • Attendees must either provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, plus a booster shot*, received by May 1, 2022, or a negative COVID-19 test. Vaccines are strongly recommended for all conference attendees.
    • *Booster shots are not required for those who completed their primary vaccination series more recently and are not yet eligible according to CDC guidance.
  • 825991b7-b77b-49c8-94ac-4c96115e297bProof of COVID-19 vaccination will be collected and verified via HealthShield/42chat, a third-party system. To ensure a smooth and expeditious on-site registration experience, we encourage attendees to complete this vaccine pre-check process prior to arrival. On April 20, 2022, all attendees who provided a valid mobile phone number during registration, were sent a text message from HealthShield/42chat with instructions to upload their proof of vaccination.
If you did not receive this text or prefer to initiate through your mobile device, scan the QR code to get started. Please note that upload links may expire, but can be reissued by following the prompts provided by the platform's chat bot. Additionally, each participant must upload their documents through their own mobile device. For more information, please check out HealthShield’s user guide and FAQs.
  • Details about adding or editing your mobile phone number on your registration are available in the Main Street Now Conference FAQs, available here.

Proof of Negative Test Result & On-site Testing

  • Any attendee not showing proof of vaccination must provide proof of a negative Rapid Antigen, NAAT, or PCR COVID-19 test. The test must have been taken no more than 48-hours prior to the initial arrival of the attendee to the event. The test must be provided by a certified medical professional in a clinical setting (doctor’s office, pharmacy, testing facility, etc.). Acceptable forms of proof of negative test are a printed document, or email or text message displayed on a phone from a test provider or laboratory. The information should include the Conference attendee’s name, type of test performed, and negative test result. At-home tests are not acceptable for the purposes of this policy. 
  • You can find a list of local testing facilities in Richmond here.
  • As a last resort, Main Street America will have a limited number of rapid antigen tests (administered at a charge of $50 per test to the attendee) at registration for any attendee who is not able to provide appropriate negative test documentation or proof of vaccination.
    • If you do develops symptoms while on-site, please visit our testing staff (Wellness Coaches) to receive a COVID test free of charge. If a positive case is confirmed, we will collect your conference badge and ask that you isolate from other attendees. Wellness Coaches will be located in the Washington Room (Marriott lower level) and available: Sunday 11am - 6pm; Monday 7am - 4:30pm; Tuesday 7am -4pm and Wednesday 7:30am - 12:30pm.

    Face Coverings

    • Regardless of an individual’s vaccination status, face coverings will be required at all Main Street Now Conference sessions, events, and activities. Surgical, KN95, KF94, or N95 masks are highly encouraged.
    • Attendees must wear a face covering that extends from the chin to the bridge of the nose at all times during the Conference, except when the attendee is actively eating or drinking, or for attendees who cannot wear face coverings due to a medical or mental health condition or disability, or who are hearing-impaired or communicating with a hearing-impaired person.

    Social Distancing

    • Where possible, we’ll provide extra space in Conference session rooms. We will work with the hotel to space out seats as much as possible. We will also ask that no one stand or sit anywhere else outside of the seats provided in the session rooms; if there are no more seats available, we will kindly ask you to attend another session.
    • To help facilitate effective communication of each attendee’s comfort level with social distancing, during registration check-in you will be able to add a symbol that represents your preference for physical interaction on your conference badge.
    • Signage about the social distancing symbols will be on display at registration check-in and throughout the Conference venues, and included in programming materials (printed and digital).

    Self-Check Responsibilities


    You should not attend the Conference if within the 5 days prior to the conference:
      • A fever of 100.4°F or higher.
      • Cough
      • Sore throat
      • Respiratory Illness or difficulty breathing
      • Loss of taste or smell
    • Tested positive or had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
      • Close contact is defined by the CDC as being within six (6) feet of someone with or without a mask for a total of 15 minutes or longer within a 24-hour period.

    Notice of Potential Event Changes

    Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in various city, state, and federal regulations, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) and state and local health authorities, and emergency orders (together, “Government Orders”), we are currently unable to predict how many attendees will be able to attend this event in person. Based on current circumstances, we are moving forward with the plan of accommodating the greatest number of in-person attendees to the extent it is deemed safe and advisable. Since government orders and pandemic conditions can rapidly change without notice, we reserve the right to adjust the number of attendees registered to attend any portion of our conference at any time.

    Main Street America is not responsible for any additional costs you may incur due to a conference cancellation or conversion from in-person to virtual, including, but not limited to, cancellation fees, airfare, accommodations, transportation costs, etc.
    Attendance at the Conference is subject to Main Street America’s policies and procedures, which will be based on current Government Orders, policies and procedures of the venue, and other policies and procedures as may be determined necessary by Main Street America. Because pandemic conditions can change at any time, we reserve the right to change our policies and procedures at any time. By registering for the Conference, you agree to comply with Government Orders, Main Street America’s and the venue’s policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, face coverings, social distancing, quarantine, or health screenings and/or questionnaires.

    Main Street America and/or any Conference venue reserve the right to ask an attendee to leave the Conference or to refuse admission to an attendee who violates the policies and procedures of the Conference, and/or the venue. If you are asked to leave or refused admission to the Conference, you will not be readmitted into the Conference and no refund will be provided.


    Questions?


    Please email mainstreet@savingplaces.org.

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