MANDALORIAN MERCS COSTUME CLUB
INTERNATIONAL IN-PERSON EVENT ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
MMCC International Command Council understands the desire for regions, clans, and members to return to a limited/restricted state of in-costume and intra-organization events during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support this, the International Command Council and International Advisory Committee has put together the following guidelines based on the USA Center for Disease Control (CDC), and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for protecting against COVID-19 infection.
Basic CDC/WHO Guidelines:
Wash your hands often
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick, even inside your home. If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members.
- Put distance between yourself and other people outside of your home.
- Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
- Do not gather in groups.
- Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
- Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
- You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
- Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
- Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
- The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
- Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.
- Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
Cover coughs and sneezes
- If you are in a private setting and do not have on your cloth face covering, remember to always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
- Throw used tissues in the trash.
- Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Clean and disinfect
- Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
- If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
- Then, use a household disinfectant.
Expanded MMCC Guidelines for Events:
- Keep in mind that both the official member and clan trooping requirements have been suspended for the 2020 calendar year.
- Attending ANY MMCC in-person event is done so at the member’s own risk.
- Encourage members and handlers to wear masks at all times at events, even when helmeted. Remember that helmets are NOT designed to protect from passing or receiving COVID-19.
- Changing areas for invasions must be able to promote social distancing between both MMCC members and other costume/fan organizations attending the event. If inadequate changing space is available, change in shifts or resort to parking lot changes.
- Ensure a commercially available disinfectant is readily available to members at each event.
- It is recommended to use the CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfection for households: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html
- Refrain from shaking hands, hugging, or kissing other members or members of the public. This includes the traditional in-armor handshake (grasping wrists). It is encouraged that members use the 2-finger helmet tap, armor salute (tapping left chest plate with right fist), Boba nod, or simply wave.
- No more than 5 Official Members in costume and 1 handler should be present at an event at any one time. It is recommended to use scheduling to cycle members in and out of events that span multiple hours/days so the maximum number of members can attend.
- Respect social distancing as much as possible. Regions, clans, and strongholds are advised to create social distancing signage for event tables. Photo ops should have MMCC members spaced 6 feet apart from the member of the public desiring a photograph.
- Refrain from attending post-invasion dinners or activities until you’ve had sufficient time to bathe and change into clean clothes post-invasion.
- Members with pre-existing conditions should be made aware that attending an event while also suffering from an underlying condition such as (but not limited to) respiratory conditions, cardiac conditions, diabetes and autoimmune disorders not only increase the chances of contracting COVID-19, but also increase the likelihood of severe complications after contracting the virus.
MMCC Suggestions for Events:
- Wash (soft parts) and disinfect kit after every use. CDC instructions for disinfecting can be found in point #3 of the MMCC Expanded Guidelines for Events section. In lieu of disinfecting, kit may be “aired out” for 72 hours before being worn again.
- Clans are encouraged to invest in a digital forehead thermometer to check official member’s temperatures upon arrival to events. Do not rely on event hosts to provide thermometers.
- Clans may also wish to invest in masks to provide official members at in-person events, this should be done at the discretion of the Aliit Ka’ra.
- Develop a “rolling schedule” that will allow for the maximum number of members to participate in in-person invasions without breaking the 5-member maximum guideline.
Instructions for Regions and Clans:
- Clans, Strongholds, and Members are required to follow all local Country/Province/State/Municipal restrictions and laws related to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Region Commands will provide oversight, as realistically as possible, to assist in ensuring MMCC is compliant globally.
- MMCC event coordinator MUST receive in-writing (via email or MMCC Invasion Request Form) a certification of compliance with all federal, state, and local laws regarding COVID-19 from the event host. Verbal certifications are unsatisfactory, and will not be accepted.
- No clan, stronghold, or member should at any time be or feel pressured to attend ANY event. This mentality should be encouraged by every level of command, and at all times, no matter the event.
- Clans are encouraged to post these guidelines within each event sign-up thread on the Clan’s official forum on the MMCC forums.
- Individual Region Commands *MAY* pass a more restrictive set of guidelines for the respective through a Region Command vote, but they *MAY NOT* pass a less restrictive set of guidelines than the MMCC International guidelines.
- Individual Clans *MAY* pass a more restrictive set of guidelines for the respective through a vote of the Aliit Ka’ra, but they *MAY NOT* pass a less restrictive set of guidelines than the respective Region or MMCC International guidelines.
- ADRP May be filed at the Clan or Region level if clans or members feel any restrictions being imposed by either levels of command are unreasonably restrictive based on local laws and health guidelines.
Downloadable PDF version can be found here: INTERNATIONAL IN-PERSON EVENT ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC