LVFC cares for the health and safety of its attendees. An event like ours gathers people from all over the world, making the spread of disease likely and impossible to completely avoid; these diseases are collectively known as “con crud” and extend beyond COVID-19. The only way to have a risk-free experience is to stay home.
LVFC is also in close proximity to the Las Vegas Strip, which offers all kinds of entertainment but unfortunately also attracts the problems endemic to a large city.
One of our priorities is to expand attendee health and safety, while also taking into consideration practical application of policies. LVFC offers the following general advisory to promote a safe convention experience.
Health Policies
For 2025, LVFC is not requiring any vaccinations or masking, and is shifting towards voluntary incentives.
LVFC benefits from an outdoors venue which helps reduce the spread of respiratory illness, but has the following recommendations and incentives in place to increase attendee health:
Social Courtesy. Please stay home if you are sick. We offer full refunds at any time, airlines usually offer travel credits, and most hotels offer full refunds of deposits if cancelled 72 hours or more before checkin.
Hand Hygiene. All attendees are provided with a bottle of hand sanitizer, and we have sanitizing stations around the event. You should wash your hands after using the restroom or touching surfaces. You should wash or sanitize your hands before eating or touching your nose, eyes, and mouth. This helps prevent the spread of germs such as e. coli and norovirus.
Testing. You should test for respiratory diseases at the sign of illness. If you are planning to be sexually active, please schedule appropriate tests before the convention. We are looking to partner with health centers to offer free testing at-con.
Masking. We recommend masking in any crowded area, especially indoors such as the Dealers Den, parties or panels; a higher quality mask such as a KN95 or N95 is suggested. This limits the spread of respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19, RSV and influenza.
Vaccination. Vaccines help the body prepare to fight diseases by training the immune system to recognize infections. Unless you are at risk of allergic reaction, we recommend the following vaccines in line with CDC recommendations:
- COVID-19. All attendees should consider an updated COVID-19 booster. COVID vaccines are free with most insurance; the CDC’s Bridge Program is funding COVID vaccines until 12/31/24.
- Influenza. All attendees should consider a seasonal flu shot. The flu vaccine’s formula shifts each year based on predicted flu strains. Flu vaccines are free with most insurance.
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). All attendees over 60 or who are 32-36 weeks pregnant should get the RSV vaccine. RSV typically causes mild respiratory symptoms but is dangerous for older people.
- Monkeypox (“mpox”). Monkeypox spreads through physical contact; the CDC recommends the monkeypox vaccine if you are a gay, bisexual, or other same-gender loving man who has sex with men or are transgender, gender non-binary, or gender-diverse AND in the last 6 months you have had, or expect to have:
- One or more sexually transmitted infections.
- More than one sexual partner, or anonymous sexual or intimate contact.
- Sex at a commercial sex venue.
- Sex in association with a large public event in a geographic area where mpox transmission is occurring.
If you are unsure of your current vaccinations and live in the US, please see the CDC’s index of vaccination registries by state (scroll to the bottom for the list).
Vaccine Raffle
LVFC encourages attendees to verify their recent vaccination status for COVID-19, influenza or monkeypox with ConOps Staff for entry into our annual vaccine raffle. Full raffle details here!
If you are unsure of your current vaccinations and live in the US, please see the CDC’s index of vaccination registries by state (scroll to the bottom for the list).
General Safety Recommendations
Other Venues. Most venues in Las Vegas are not fursuit-friendly. Do not wear your fursuit head in properties that are not LVFC partners to avoid being confronted by security.
Transit. LVFC’s neighborhood is generally safe to walk around during the day, but we recommend walking in groups, driving, or using rideshare at night for safety.
Downtown and the Strip. These are fun places to visit, but also where you may run into scams, solicitors and pickpockets. Do not trust any stranger who seems too friendly (they are likely to pressure you for some kind of sale/donation, e.g try to sell you a “CD” or a “free photo” with expectation of a tip afterward), and always watch your pockets.
Parties. Please see our full list of party policies for increased safety.