Health Protocols

UPDATE Sept. 24, 2022

We can’t wait to see you at SatSummit on Wednesday. As grateful as we are for the opportunity, we take seriously our responsibility to make this a safe and inclusive event.

To keep everyone safe we will require masks when not presenting, eating or drinking. This is an update from our previous stance of highly recommending masks.

We expect everyone attending SatSummit to:

Wear masks when not presenting, eating, or drinking
Test yourself before Wednesday
Not attend if you are experiencing Covid symptoms (or test positive)
Be vaccinated

Our policy is informed by:

Our Code of Conduct
Science

You can expect the SatSummit organizers to:

Provide masks to anyone who needs one
Enforce masking as we do all aspects of our Code of Conduct
Work with the venue to provide as safe a space as possible

Guiding Principals

Building a safe, inclusive space

The Specifics

Masks

Masks are the most effective way to limit risk at a large event. We require masks when not presenting, eating or drinking. We will provide masks to anyone needing one. Failure to respect our masking policy will be treated as a Code of Conduct violation.

Concerning Covid-19

We're excited to welcome you to SatSummit 2022 in-person, but realize the COVID-19 pandemic is still an important consideration for many of you. We ask if you attend SatSummit 2022 that you help us create the safest environment we can as we reacquaint ourselves with in-person meetings.

We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable conference! We're monitoring national and local (Washington DC) health and safety guidelines for COVID-19. The following recommendations are based on the current DC Health COVID-19 Community Transmission Level of Medium (July data).

We strongly encourage the following:

Get vaccinated against COVID-19
- You're considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, two weeks after a second dose of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after a single dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine *
- Boosters are recommended for those in an eligible category as outlined by the CDC.
Test negative for COVID-19 before arriving at the conference.
- We recommend a negative rapid antigen at-home test or PCR test.. There are two testing locations in proximity to our event venue, Convene:
  - CVS Pharmacy, 1275 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. Appointment required.
  - Farragut Medical & Travel Care, 815 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006. Appointment Required.
Stay home and attend virtually if you've recently been diagnosed with COVID-19, been sick, or been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Common symptoms for all variants include but are not limited to:
  - runny nose
  - cough
  - sore throat
  - fever
  - headaches
  - muscle pain
  - fatigue
  - sudden loss of taste or smell
- We will be providing virtual access to the meeting for everyone, so you are encouraged to join us remotely if any of these items apply to you.
Participate in Contact Tracing & Exposure Notifications
- We encourage you to either download (for Android) or enable (iPhone) exposure notifications for DC Can app
- If you experience any COVID symptoms or test positive during or after attending SatSummit please follow our Code of Conduct guidance on Reporting an Incident by emailing [email protected].
Wear a mask
- We strongly encourage attendees to wear a mask(KN95, N95, or surgical masks) throughout the event. Face coverings should completely cover the nose and mouth, fit snugly against the sides of the face, and not have any gaps. For more information on acceptable face coverings, please view guidance on the CDC website.
- There is limited ability to social distance effectively at Convene, especially during plenary sessions when we are all gathered together.
- CDC recommends masking in public places if Community Level is High. If the Washington DC area moves to a High Community Level at the time of SatSummit we'll require and expect you to mask up unless eating or presenting.
- We will have a limited supply of surgical masks available.

Onsite at SatSummit

Provide hand washing stations with soap and water and hand sanitizer
Provide hand washing instructions at handwashing stations
Encourage and remind attendees about masking, social distancing, and what to do if you experience symptoms.
Convene states that they provide 9.5 ACH (Air Changes per Hour) and that they utilize above-standard MERV 15 air filters.

As the situation evolves, so will our approach to keeping you safe. We'll follow CDC Guidance for Washington, DC protocols that are in effect at the time, which can be followed closely on this website. Please be aware that we reserve the right to modify these guidelines in the future based on best-available data and public health recommendations or policies.