Kiwi PyCon XIII is an in-person event being held in a period where COVID-19 is still in the community. We can’t totally eliminate the risk this presents, but below are the measures we’re taking, which you can use to decide if attending Kiwi PyCon XIII in person meets your risk tolerance.

Conferences like ours are uniquely high risk. We’re coming from all over the country, from across the Tasman and elsewhere around the world, and gathering together indoors in a large group for the entire day, across multiple days. This means that the risk is much higher than a quick trip to the grocery store.
Not everyone faces the same risk from COVID-19. There are members of our community who are more likely to catch COVID-19, or more likely to experience severe outcomes from a COVID-19 infection. Those people have every right to participate in events like ours.

We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe. The Kiwi PyCon XIII organisers take the risk of COVID-19 seriously, and expect all attendees to do the same.

Kiwi PyCon 2024 signed The Public Health Pledge as an event with robust Health & Safety policies.

“Don’t give COVID-19”

Applicability of these Policies

These policies apply to all days of the conference including the tutorials/workshops running on Friday, the coding competition / social event Friday evening, as well as the main conference on Saturday and Sunday.

Reading, understanding, and adhering to this policy is a condition of sale of your ticket. Attendees who break these requirements may be asked to leave the event without a refund.

Mask wearing

While indoors, attendees must wear a mask, properly fitted and over the nose and mouth, except when:

Presenting on stage.
Actively eating or drinking:
- At meal times collect your food while masked and move to a more open area to eat unmasked.
- When drinking or snacking during the conference, briefly lower your mask but don't use having food in front of you as an excuse not to wear a mask.
Communicating with somebody who needs to be able to see your mouth, for instance because they are deaf or hard of hearing. If you are in this situation, please ensure that you maintain any appropriate physical distance from the person to whom you are communicating.

We strongly recommend using a P2/N95 or equivalent mask however attendees may use a mask that meets their needs for protection and comfort. We have both N95 and surgical masks for you at the conference.

The New Zealand government will continue to provide free face masks until the end of June 2024. Participating mask collection sites can be found at https://healthpoint.co.nz or by calling free on 0800 222 478 and choosing option 1.

https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/protect-yourself-and-others-from-covid-19/face-masks/.

Ventilation and Air Quality

Separate air conditioning units are installed in each room as well as the atrium/foyer. Air filters are G4 (sorry not HEPA).
The system will be running at 100% fresh air throughout the day, which will lead to at least 6 air changes per hour.

Monkeytronic C02 monitors will be placed around the venue and visible to attendees, organisers and volunteers. While these are not centrally monitored we hope that providing indicators of air quality provide some assurance of adequate ventilation and help attendees make informed decisions about the level of risk they are exposed to.

In case a monitor is showing a high reading (greater than 1000ppm CO2) please let a volunteer or organiser know.

Information about the monkeytronics air monitors is available on their website.

Hygiene

Hand sanitiser stations are available throughout the atrium of Shed 6, and we have hand sanitiser dispenser bottles in all rooms and bathrooms for you.
If you need a fresh mask, we have them at the registration desk in the atrium.

Displaying symptoms of illness or testing positive for COVID-19

You must not attend Kiwi Pycon if you are feeling ill, have symptoms of illness, have tested positive to COVID-19 or your presence would otherwise create a risk of exposure to communicable diseases to your fellow attendees.

Refund due to Illness

If you are testing positive to COVID-19 or are displaying symptoms of Illness we will provide a refund of your ticket at a rate pro-rata’d to the days you were not able to attend.

Kiwi PyCon does not have any hybrid, remote attendance or live streaming facilities this year but you will be able to catch all of the talks on our YouTube channel after the conference.

Vaccination and testing

We encourage attendees to be up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines, as it is the best way to reduce the impact of COVID-19 should you be infected during your time travelling to and attending the conference.

New Zealand residents can book their flu and COVID-19 Vaccine here https://bookmyvaccine.health.nz/.

We strongly recommend that attendees perform a rapid antigen test (RAT) before attending the event, especially if you are aware you have recently been exposed to COVID-19, or if you have recently been unmasked in a group setting.

The New Zealand government will continue to provide free Rapid Antigen Tests until the end of June 2024. Participating RAT collection sites can be found at https://healthpoint.co.nz or by calling free on 0800 222 478 and choosing option 1.

Exemptions

If you require an exemption to any of these policies for legitimate medical reasons, please contact us at safety@kiwipycon.nz.

Changes to this information

These policies may be updated in response to new directives or recommendations from the Ministry of Health. They will only be changed if it is to increase protections. The exception to this is if circumstances outside our control require us to loosen protections. If this happens, we’ll let all ticket-holders know. If you no longer feel comfortable attending as a result of such changes, please contact us.

Significant parts of this policy are borrowed from our PyCon AU friends (https://2023.pycon.org.au/safety/covid/).