Greetings to the SCA:
In April of this year, the Board of Directors of the SCA, Inc. issued a proclamation allowing in-person events to resume in North America as of June 1, 2021, subject to any federal, state, provincial, or local government health restrictions, and subject to restrictions imposed by the Board to try to ensure the safety of our participants, given conditions of the pandemic at the time. It was stated then that these restrictions would be revisited as appropriate.
At their May 25, 2021 conference call meeting, the Board of Directors of the SCA, Inc. discussed the latest guidance from the CDC, as well as current trends in the United States in particular with regard to the increasing availability of COVID vaccinations and the decreasing incidence of illness and hospitalizations in the United States. The Board then decided to loosen many of the SCA-imposed restrictions effective July 1, 2021. The attached proclamation spells out the requirements for in-person events going forward from that July 1 date.
The Board further took the following action:
Motion by Dale Fong-Frederick to approve the following language, and require that it appear on all event notices, flyers, online announcements, and advertisements, as well as being posted in multiple locations, including Troll [Registration], at all events:
Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.
Seconded by Gigi Coulson. Opposed: None. Motion carried.
This language will be required to appear on all event notices, flyers, online announcements, and advertisements, as well as being posted in multiple locations at any and all SCA-sponsored functions going forward.
A PDF of this language can be found here: https://www.sca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/052021EventSign.pdf
A few important notes:
- During the month of June, all current restrictions including mask requirements and the 150-person attendance limit remain in effect. The new proclamation does not take effect until July 1.
- As always, any and all federal, state, provincial, and local health rules and restrictions must be followed. If your local government does not allow gatherings above a certain size, or requires masks, those restrictions of course must be enforced.
- Individual kingdoms are always allowed to impose more restrictions than those imposed by the SCA, Inc. No kingdom is required to begin holding in-person events if the Crown and Kingdom Seneschal do not believe it is safe yet; a kingdom may continue to require face coverings, impose size limits on events, or prohibit overnight camping if it wishes. The President, Society Seneschal, and Board will support kingdoms in resuming events in the way that seems safest for them. Please contact the Society Seneschal at seneschal@sca.org and the President at president@sca.org with questions.
- The SCA has always been built on the ideals of chivalry and courtesy. We expect that people will continue to display these values at all times, and respect individuals’ personal choices regarding their own health and safety.
The Society Seneschal and the President will continue to work with Kingdom Seneschals to implement the SCA’s return to live events in a safe and responsible manner. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we move forward.
PDF version: https://www.sca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-28-SScover.pdf