Tuesday 30 March 2021

New normal: Moscone Center hosting first event since pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) - The American Society for Surgery of the Hand has confirmed they will have their annual convention at the Moscone Center from September 30th to October 2nd.

"It's very significant because this will be 18 months after we sheltered and shutdown. So although we have had some small leisure travelers on the weekends, we need the meetings and conventions to make sure the restaurants can be open and the small retail."

San Francisco Travel President and CEO Joe D'Alessandro says resuming meetings and conventions at the Moscone Center couldn't come at a better time. Considering what the pandemic has done to San Francisco's leisure travel and convention business.

"We've lost about 8 billion dollars in our economy, just in the city of San Francisco alone. And that's gonna grow. We don't expect a return to a pre-pandemic economy until 2024 or 2025, so it will take a long time to fully recover."

Right now large indoor gatherings are prohibited.  But Dalessandro says well before the 1200 attendees arrive, the state will issue guidelines and safety protocols for these type of gatherings.

"In a lot of crowd events that are being looked for the fall, they really are looking at immunization to get people through the door. You'll show a QR code that has your vaccination status and you get flashed in," said UCSF Epidemiology professor Dr. George Rutherford.

He says vaccinating attendees and vendors is just one way to make things safe.

"We will have to have a lot of nonpharmaceutical interventions in place. Masking, social distancing, increasing ventilation, keeping the size down," Rutherford added.



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