Pax West is one of the first major conventions I covered as a journalist, and I was excited for 2021. However, the notion that you won’t have to be vaccinated to go to Pax West 2021 leaves me more than a little worried. Sure, I’m vaccinated already, and I understand how to be safe in these situations but there are many factors to consider here. While it’s exciting to see the world get back to a measure of normalcy, it’s confusing why when Reedpop announced a return for Pax West, vaccinations were not mandatory. They’ll take temperatures at the door, but that won’t trigger anything unless someone’s symptomatic.

It sounds like it is a very big risk to go to Pax West 2021 this year. Even if you’re vaccinated, it may not be a safe move.

It’s hard to picture social distancing at Pax. The lines for games are absolutely colossal, winding and stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s already an event in an enclosed area, typically across several floors of a convention center. Thousands of people are in attendance, and hygiene was already a severe issue at PAX. 

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There will be a list of precautions taken, which you can find on the official Pax site. Masks will be required, and temperature screenings will be taken at the door. ReedPop is also reportedly going to make sure there’s increased sanitation and hygiene. A reduced capacity and limited badges, as well as required social distancing, will also be enforced. This is all well and good, but what about vaccinations? Shouldn’t that also be a requirement? 

It’s not hard to hold onto your vaccination card, and the state of Washington even has a digital Excelsior Pass (a digital proof of vaccination). Not all events in Washington require a vaccination, but many do. If you combine a widespread event like COVID-19 with a huge convention, a superspreader event could be the result. This isn’t even taking into consideration things like the “Pax Pox”. For those who haven’t been to Pax West, but have been to other conventions, it’s essentially “con crud”.  You’re typically trapped, surrounded by thousands of people, some of which aren’t hygienic or carrying a cold/flu from anywhere in the world.

Then you come home, and you’ve got it too. It’s happened to me for years and years as I covered Pax West, South, and East, or other conventions. Anyone with a compromised immune system is in serious danger going to an event like this. You combine a global pandemic with cold/flu spread, expensive (but cheaply made) food, and lots of people who may or may not believe that COVID-19 was real, and you have a recipe for disaster. It’s of course, ReedPop’s decision to run Pax West 2021 this year, but anyone who is considering it should definitely exercise caution. It’s very curious that they choose not to require vaccinations. An event like this could also become the breeding ground for new strains of COVID-19. So even if you have the vaccine, you could come into contact with a strain you aren’t prepared to defend and could bring it home to your loved ones.

We don’t want to scare you, but it’s something to consider as you do or do not make plans for Pax West 2021.