Dear Congoers of America: Please Don’t Go to Cons During a Pandemic

Hey kids, I know it’s been a while since we talked, but it’s time we have a serious sit down, okay? Everyone here loves conventions. We love going to them, seeing our friends, cosplaying, and just being chaotic weirdos for a weekend. It’s a great time under normal circumstances. Heck, when we shut down the “Mega-Blog” here at Nerd & Tie and pivoted into a podcast network, we kept this convention news section open because we are committed to the con scene (and to make our own branding super difficult apparently). So yeah, we love cons.

But here’s the thing… don’t friggin’ go to one right now.

We’re in the middle of a global friggin’ pandemic. Over 157 thousand Americans have died from COVID-19 at the time that I write these words, and the numbers will likely be higher when you read this. Convention centers and hotels are enclosed spaces with a lot of people in them and are one of the worst places to be right now.

While most cons have been smart enough to cancel or postpone (and some of the early 2021 cons may end up postponing again), a few haven’t. I’m not going to mention their names because I don’t want to promote any of them. These are not safe places to be right now, and you should not go to them.

I know it sucks guys, and a lot of us are going stir crazy and are getting lonely. I know virtual events aren’t the same thing as real cons, but we need to make it through this together (yet physically apart). Here at Nerd & Tie we want all of you to live, and we want your families to live too. Cons are not worth the risk, and they’ll be back once we get through this.

In the meanwhile though, stay the frak home.