Going on 5 years into a pandemic, Eutopia Rising continues to hold high standards for how we keep each other safe. We seek to balance social, emotional and physical need with input, disability awareness and medical understanding in an evolving set of practices to minimize harm. We hosted virtual events throughout 2020 and 2021 as long as we had capacity, and very carefully resumed in-person events in October 2021. We now regularly hold both Solar and Lunar events (See our Rules and Etiquette page for an explanation).
Here’s what we are doing:
- Attending Lunar events like Never Surrender requires full vaccination for COVID-19 as defined by the CDC, including an updated vaccine for the current year (currently, that means the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine, often called a “booster”). Voyagers must submit proof of vaccination through our secure form before the event. As proof, we accept a printout/photo/PDF of your electronic health record of immunizations (such as Epic/MyChart or NYC vaccine record), or a receipt from a pharmacy. Anyone who arrives without submitting proof of vaccination will be asked to remain outside the event until they can provide proof.
We recognize that some Voyagers may need to request a medical exemption from mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. If you need a medical exemption, please email us at events@eutopia-rising.org to be connected with our medical officer on Discord. Our medical officer will likely ask for further information from you, such as whether you’ve ever contracted COVID-19 and when, whether you had a reaction to past vaccines, and any medical documentation you would feel comfortable sharing. Similarly, if your vaccinations are up-to-date but you are having trouble presenting proof of vaccination, please email us to discuss with our medical officer.
Also, Voyagers must test negative on a rapid antigen or molecular test in the 24 hours prior to the event, must feel well without cough, runny nose, fatigue, body ache, fever, etc., and have no recent exposures to anyone with a confirmed positive test. Anyone who arrives without submitting a current test result through our secure form will be asked to take a test and remain outside the event until the results are negative. - Solar events are held outdoors when possible. When we hold them indoors, we seek out venues where distancing and good ventilation are possible. We encourage participants to self-test for COVID-19 before attending, but do not require it.
- Masks are optional for all events, Solar and Lunar. Currently, most participants do not wear masks, but some do, and you will not be mocked or looked at strangely if you wear one; as a courtesy, other participants nearby will likely ask if you’d be more comfortable if they wear one also.
- Due to the current low transmission levels of Mpox (monkeypox), we do not yet require vaccination to attend any events. However, we do ask that nobody attend Lunar events with symptoms such as rash, lesions, fatigue, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, or fever. We take additional hygiene precautions with skin and fluid contact in mind (see the “Safer Sex / Cleanliness Policies” section of our Rules & Etiquette). Lunar Voyagers are eligible for mpox vaccination and New York City’s Sexual Health Clinics offer mpox vaccination for free.
- We do not currently require influenza (flu) vaccination to attend any events. However, we ask that you not attend Lunar events with symptoms such as feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, or unusual fatigue. We recommend all Voyagers get vaccinated; NYC Vaccine Finder lists where you can get no-cost shots.
- We offer full refunds on event tickets in the case of a positive result on a rapid antigen test, potential exposure to anyone with a confirmed positive test result, development of concerning symptoms, or any other reason that a Voyager believes they should stay home for their own safety or that of our community. Please contact us at events@eutopia-rising.org to request a refund on your event ticket.
- A key element of keeping each other safe is open and honest communication around health and risk factors. We discuss and model how to have these conversations in a positive, non-judgemental way during our events, and we strongly encourage Voyagers to be proactive about their concerns. Safety monitors and event staff will be introduced at the beginning of each event. We also reach out to all event attendees afterwards for feedback and remind them to contact us if they test positive after one of our events. For any concerns before or after our events, we can be reached at events@eutopia-rising.org.
- If you would like to stay connected to what we currently have going on, we encourage you to join us on the Eutopia Rising Community Discord. This is a great way to check out our community, even if you’re not yet ready to become a Voyager. Anyone may join who can follow the code of conduct, and it has been a transformative space for connecting and supporting each other. We discuss COVID-19 specifically in our
#covidingchannel. - If you would like to support the continued work of our brave crew of voluntqueers, please consider contributing to our Patreon.
We will survive and thrive, and we are going to do it together.