Should game stores be hosting gaming events?
So I am getting a lot of question about why we are not hosting events and/or when we will be hosting events. So I would like to address it again since it is being asked a lot recently.
Should game stores be hosting gaming events? Magic the Gathering Gaming and Tabletop Gaming in SF
The CDC has guidelines for casinos operating during this pandemic, and they are very relevant to game stores considering in-store play. Given the nature of our type of play, the improper possible use of PPE, and the average size of game space/store/tables for organized play, game stores would be categorized as highest risk.
The three most important ways to prevent spread and keep customers and staff safe are:
1. Wear masks at all times
2. Maintain 6-foot distance
3. Do not linger for extended periods indoors or outside during events.
However, even doing these things does not fully prevent transmission. Disinfection is valuable, but as coronavirus spreads primarily through aerosolized droplets its benefits are marginal compared to the first three. The key is not breathing each other's air. Nevertheless, Game Stores should avoid scheduling group events or meetings where social distancing of at least 6 feet between people cannot be maintained inside or outside. Plexiglass dividers do not fully protect you. In an article in Forbes, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the City University of New York, Bruce Y. Lee states, “A simple plexiglass divider, would still allow droplet nuclei, the smaller virus-carrying particles, to float above and around the divider. The primary utility of a plexiglass divider would be to block the larger respiratory droplets that normally would hit the ground. It won’t fully protect you against aerosol transmission.” His final conclusion was, “They are not going to do much to prevent possible aerosol transmission of the Covid-19 coronavirus.”
This is again why we will not be hosting events nor should any game store be hosting events.
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