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Comic Market to Drop COVID-19 Vaccination & Test Rules, Keep Masking Rule
posted on by Alex Mateo
The organizers of the Comic Market (Comiket) event announced on Friday that the Comic Market 100 event will drop the requirements for attendees to have proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, because "given recent stabilization, current government guidelines forgo such checks." The event will still implement "proper infection prevention measures," and wearing masks indoors will be mandatory. The exception is while eating or drinking, and the staff states that talking will not be allowed during meals. In addition, attendees will have their temperatures taken in order to receive wristbands for entry. Attendees who purchase tickets but are not able to attend for any reason, such as not passing the temperature check, will not receive refunds.
The organizers stated that rules are subject to change.
The in-person event will take place on August 13-14. It will start at 10:30 a.m. instead of the usual 10:00 a.m.
The event staff stated it plans to have 80,000-90,000 participants each day at the event, and tickets will be necessary to attend. All tickets will be pre-sold, and no tickets will be sold at the event itself.
The event had previously planned in January to use part of Tokyo Big Sight itself to check for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and to take temperatures. The staff had said they thought attendees would need to prove they've had three vaccination shots (so including a booster shot) in order to be able to attend.
Comic Market 99 had allowed around 55,000 participants per day when it was held on December 30-31. Two Comiket staffers were diagnosed with COVID-19 on January 4. The staff later reported that four more people linked to the event tested positive for COVID-19.
Source: Comic Market's website and Facebook page via Otakomu
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history