Why is it that I must return from 100% of EAGs with either covid or a cold?
Perhaps my immune system just sucks or it’s impossible to avoid due to asymptomatic cases, but in case it’s not: If you get a cold before an EAG(x), stay home!
If it’s just a cold, or you’re testing negative for COVID but still have mild symptoms, I think it should be okay to attend wearing a mask indoors and distanced outside, and eating outside or alone. I did this once for an EAG under the advice of the team with only and multiple negative tests and mild symptoms. I also checked with each of my 1-on-1s if they were still okay meeting and how, and (maybe excessively, and probably not what the team expected) skipped almost all group events and talks I had originally planned to attend. Part of the reason I skipped group events and talks was because I wouldn’t be able to check with everyone if they were comfortable with me attending.
That being said, I felt pretty self-conscious attending, which was unpleasant, but I also had good 1-on-1s, as well as good interactions outside of the formal events.
I would strongly urge people to err on the side of attendance. The value of the connections made at EAGs and EAGxs far exceeds the risks posed by most communicable diseases, especially if precautions are taken, such as wearing a mask.
If you take seriously the value of connections, many of them could very well exceed the cost to save a life. Would you say that your avoiding a cold is worth the death of someone in the developing world, for instance? I think your request fails to take seriously the value of making connections within the EA community.
The minute suffering I experience from the cold is not the real cost!
I’m probably an outlier, given that a lot of my work is networking but I have had to cancel attending an event where I was invited to speak and likely would have met at least a few people who would have been relevant to know for my work, canceled an in-person meeting (though I likely will get a chance to meet them later) and reschedule a third.
The cold probably hit at the best possible time (right after two meetings in parliament), had it come sooner it would have really sucked.
Additionally my roommate, who is an EA, has now gotten sick affecting his work as well.
(Come to think of it, I think it’s actually more likely I got sick from somewhere else than eagx this time, and eagx just happened to be last weekend)
Why is it that I must return from 100% of EAGs with either covid or a cold?
Perhaps my immune system just sucks or it’s impossible to avoid due to asymptomatic cases, but in case it’s not: If you get a cold before an EAG(x), stay home!
For those who do this already, thank you!
https://​​forum.effectivealtruism.org/​​posts/​​YNcjDoH6DaHzfhWGb/​​the-next-ea-global-should-have-safe-air
If it’s just a cold, or you’re testing negative for COVID but still have mild symptoms, I think it should be okay to attend wearing a mask indoors and distanced outside, and eating outside or alone. I did this once for an EAG under the advice of the team with only and multiple negative tests and mild symptoms. I also checked with each of my 1-on-1s if they were still okay meeting and how, and (maybe excessively, and probably not what the team expected) skipped almost all group events and talks I had originally planned to attend. Part of the reason I skipped group events and talks was because I wouldn’t be able to check with everyone if they were comfortable with me attending.
That being said, I felt pretty self-conscious attending, which was unpleasant, but I also had good 1-on-1s, as well as good interactions outside of the formal events.
I would strongly urge people to err on the side of attendance. The value of the connections made at EAGs and EAGxs far exceeds the risks posed by most communicable diseases, especially if precautions are taken, such as wearing a mask.
If you take seriously the value of connections, many of them could very well exceed the cost to save a life. Would you say that your avoiding a cold is worth the death of someone in the developing world, for instance? I think your request fails to take seriously the value of making connections within the EA community.
The minute suffering I experience from the cold is not the real cost!
I’m probably an outlier, given that a lot of my work is networking but I have had to cancel attending an event where I was invited to speak and likely would have met at least a few people who would have been relevant to know for my work, canceled an in-person meeting (though I likely will get a chance to meet them later) and reschedule a third.
The cold probably hit at the best possible time (right after two meetings in parliament), had it come sooner it would have really sucked.
Additionally my roommate, who is an EA, has now gotten sick affecting his work as well.
(Come to think of it, I think it’s actually more likely I got sick from somewhere else than eagx this time, and eagx just happened to be last weekend)
Do a large proportion of people come back from EAGs infected with a variant of COVID, relative to other large gatherings?