ASECS 2024 Health and Safety Policy
The 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies brings together almost 700 scholars and exhibitors to the City of Toronto from around the world. Please help protect each other’s health as part of this time together as a community and note the following policies and protocols:
- ASECS will monitor local, national, and international infectious disease reports; changing public health conditions and guidelines may require a change in policy. The following pages offer dashboards for health conditions globally.
- The Toronto Integrated Respiratory Diseases Dashboard provides the most up-to-date information for infectious diseases in the area.
- On the Public Health Agency of Canada website, you’ll find information about public health notices and diseases and current conditions.
- The Centers for Disease and Prevention monitors respiratory illnesses globally.
- The conference hotel has provided the following information:
- Air filtration: Session breakout rooms and guest rooms at the conference hotel use fresh air units, which are equipped by 2 stage filtration (Pre-filter MERV 13 & Bag filters).
- Air Change Rates per Hour: In session breakout rooms at the conference hotel the range is from 10-14 ACH; guest rooms at the conference hotel range from 5-7 ACH.
- ASECS has scheduled sessions for an even distribution of audiences throughout sessions based on past session attendee numbers. Please respect the maximum number of individuals in all rooms as posted. Air change rates per hour are lower in crowded rooms.
- There will be a limited number of masks at the registration desk. At present, there is no masking requirement, although this could change depending on local conditions. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own masks.
- Be considerate of others’ needs during and beyond the conference, including their caretaking responsibilities at home. If someone asks you to wear a mask, please do so.
- If you exhibit symptoms of Covid, influenza, or other infectious diseases, please inform the Executive Director Benita Blessing (director@asecs.org) with the subject line “confidential.” The director will not release your name, but she will inform conference attendees via the conference app of possible exposure.
- Health and safety updates will be posted on the app as necessary; please make sure that you download the app when it is available.
- In the event of a medical or other emergency while in Canada or the United States, dial 9-1-1 (both countries use the same number).