Health & Safety Protocol
The Texas Library Association (TLA), alongside Visit Fort Worth, 13 partnering hotels, the Fort Worth Convention Center (FWCC), and our hard-working Program and Local Arrangements Committees are excited to bring our Texas library community together for the first time in two years next April! Your safety and health are our top priority for this in-person event. As recommendations and guidelines evolve over the next months, TLA will closely watch and follow the most current CDC guidance for public health measures. The TLA Executive Board has approved the following to protect your health and provide peace of mind: • TLA will require proof of full* vaccination OR a negative COVID-19 test (administered within 72 hours of attendance) of all registered attendees; sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, TLA staff and speakers. • TLA plans to utilize a free, simple, secure, and HIPAA-compliant third-party vendor, to clear ALL attendees in advance of the conference. • Full information about this process will be sent to registrants as soon as it is available. • All attendees will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask throughout the event spaces when not actively eating or drinking. • All attendees will be required to wear masks when on shuttles between the conference hotels and convention center. • Meal functions held in any of TLA’s conference hotels, or the Convention Center will be set in rounds of 6 or 8.
• Some education sessions will be set theater-style while others will be in rounds, depending on the size of the room. • Conference capacity may be capped to ensure safe physical distancing in response to current levels of health factors present in the state and in Fort Worth after the first of the year. • An EMT will be on site and available to attendees at the Fort Worth Convention Center conference while registration is open. • In addition to the above protocols, the team at the Fort Worth Convention Center is also committed to your health, safety, and well-being. The FWCC is officially Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR Certified, a third-party outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities that helps instill an additional layer of confidence. Our TLA community has come together many times over the last year and a half while facing a huge number of obstacles and we can successfully do in April as well. We appreciate your support and understanding as we do what is necessary to move our profession and librarianship in Texas forward. Watch for more information and event details to follow in the coming weeks as we navigate planning for your safe attendance in Fort Worth. We are truly excited about the 2022 conference and look forward to seeing you in Fort Worth! *As is defined by the CDC; A person is considered fully vaccinated greater than or equal to 2 weeks after completion of a two-dose mRNA series or single dose of Janssen vaccine.
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