ACA will continue to follow federal, state, and local health official guidance for all events and will make any adjustments as necessary. These requirements align with best practices that promote the safety of our participants and staff as our guiding principle. 

Page updated February 10, 2022

 

Positive Cases

• Frequently Asked Questions

Safe Meetings

ACA is committed to providing opportunities to engage in the safest and most enjoyable in-person experience possible. To achieve this, we are focused on a multilayered approach to mitigating COVID-19 at all ACA in-person events. This approach may vary by location, resources available, and local guidance. With consideration to the requirements for the State of Oregon, City of Portland, and the Oregon Convention Center, the following precautions have been established out of an abundance of caution for the health, safety, and comfort of all conference attendees.

Before the Conference

ACA encourages all national conference participants to modify their behavior for the seven days before the ACA National Conference, reducing high-risk activities such as gathering indoors without masks, eating in public spaces, attending sporting events or other crowded venues, etc.  

• Stay home if you are sick or have any symptoms of COVID-19, and get tested for COVID-19.
• Those who have been in close contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 within 10 days should not attend the conference until they have met the CDC requirements for being in public spaces.

Vaccination Requirements

ACA strongly recommends that all attendees have an up to date COVID vaccination status as defined by the CDC. Vaccinated participants are requested to submit a facsimile of their CDC-issued vaccination cards before gaining admittance to the conference. An up to date COVID vaccination status is described as follows:

• A two-dose series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine)
• And a booster dose, if eligible

Proof of Vaccination

• A CDC-issued card or a digital record of your vaccination including the name of the person vaccinated, the type of vaccination provided, and the date that the last dose was administered.
• A digital record can be an electronic or printed photo of a CDC-issued vaccination card stored on a phone or electronic device or proof of vaccination from a pharmacy or other healthcare provider.

Testing Requirements

All participants and exhibitors regardless of vaccination status will be required to test within 72 hours of their first day at the ACA National Conference and show evidence of a negative test before admission to the conference. Acceptable tests for attendance are an FDA-authorized viral COVID-19 test, including a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (such as a PCR/molecular test) or an antigen test that is preferably collected and performed in a healthcare setting or certified testing site. We will also accept negative at-home tests. Participants with a positive COVID test between November 10, 2021, and January 30, 2022, are exempt from this requirement but must provide detailed information regarding the positive test to ACA.

Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test

• A digital photo or printed record of negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen (preferably collected and performed in a healthcare setting) test results that includes the name of the attendee, the type of test, and the test date  
• A digital or printed photo of a negative at-home test that includes the name of the attendee, the type of test, and the test date.  

On-Site Testing Available (New!)

In accordance with the ACA Safe Meeting guidelines, Heed Health will be offering ACA-approved rapid antigen testing at the Holladay Lobby entrance to the Oregon Convention Center starting Monday 2/7. Skip the line at your local pharmacy and visit the Heed Health Testing Station conveniently located at the entrance to the ACA National Conference!  Tests cost $15.

Pre-register for an on-site COVID-19 test!

Scheduled Onsite Heed Health Testing Hours 

Additionally, there is a Curative Testing Site at the Plaza across the street from the Oregon Convention Center. They take appointments and accept walk- ins. They do rapid PCR and antigen tests. 

You can find other testing options here: 

• Vault Health  (CLIA certified telehealh service for testing at home)
• Walgreens
• CVS
• Quest Diagnostics
• Lucira (CLIA certified telehealh service for testing at home)

CrowdPass (New!)

We have partnered with CrowdPass to facilitate and streamline the health clearance entry requirements allowing us to create and monitor a safe environment. Submission of the required documents for approval is quick and painless. Once your documents are approved you will receive confirmation and a QR code that will be scanned upon entry to the conference. Your data will be securely stored until it is disposed 28 days after the event. 

Please watch for an email on Friday, February 4  from CrowdPass with further instructions!

Release of Liability Agreement Requirement

Each event attendee is required to read and sign the ACA Event Attendee COVID-19 Release of Liability Agreement  waiver.  You can sign the waiver in the CrowdPass app when you submit proof of negative test and proof of vaccination.  We will have copies of the waiver available at registration. Individuals will not be admitted to the conference without a signed waiver, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test timestamped within 72 hours, and proof of up-to-date vaccination status (if vaccinated).

Contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine considerations:  Per CDC guidance, exposed participants who are not up to date on COVID vaccination should quarantine and not attend the conference any further until their quarantine period is over. Per CDC guidelines, exposed participants who are up to date on COVID vaccination and asymptomatic do not have to quarantine, but they will need to continue to mask at all times and eat apart from others. ACA will be following the CDC Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines. It is impracticale to contact trace given the various daily breakout sessions within the conference, therefore, if ACA becomes aware that a conference participant has tested positive for COVID, we will notify participants and proceed as if all participants had potential close contact to the case. 

Masks: Participants and exhibitors will be required to wear face masks while indoors or when they are unable to distance outdoors. Participants are asked to only remove their masks to eat and, when doing so, distance from others by six feet or as much as possible given the situation. Appropriate masks include surgical masks, N95, KF95, and KN95 masks worn over the mouth and nose. Cloth masks and gaiters will not be acceptable. ACA will have masks available for participants who do not have an appropriate type of mask. 

Self-check for symptoms: ACA encourages all participants and exhibitors to do a self-check for coronavirus symptoms each day of the conference. If participants develop symptoms consistent with COVID, they should not attend the conference until they test negative. A testing facility adjacent to the Oregon Convention Center is available for this situation. 

Colored wristband comfort level indicators: ACA will provide participants with color tags (wristbands) to visually communicate with other attendees their comfort level in distancing from one another. Green tags indicate that an individual is comfortable shaking hands and with less distancing. Yellow indicates that a participant is more comfortable touching elbows or fist bumping while keeping some distancing. Red indicates that a participant would rather not directly interact with others and would prefer maximum distancing.

Physical distancing: While indoors and in close proximity to others, physical distancing must be maintained. When possible, eat outdoors. If eating indoors is required, maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from other participants.

Cough and sneeze protocols: Cover coughs and sneezes and wash hands frequently. 

Hotel and Meeting Space

We are adapting the traditional conference/meeting layouts to include opportunities for physical distancing when possible and will work with hotels and other venues to address site-specific issues such as adequate ventilation. ACA is working with the hotel and the Oregon Convention Center to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation. The Oregon Convention Center has earned a GBAC Star Accreditation, which requires a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for staff and the venue. You can learn more about Hyatt’s impressive cleaning and safety protocols here. Additionally, we will monitor local and state regulations related to group gatherings and adjust when and where necessary to maintain healthy operations.

COVID-Related Costs

Register with confidence. We want you to feel safe attending the conference and attend only if you are feeling well. If you need to cancel your registration due to COVID, we will help you transfer your registration fees to a virtual event or offer you a full refund. We are happy to work with you on registration fees paid to ACA but cannot refund any out-of-pocket expenses for transportation, lodging, or anything but registration fees.

Questions on Your Health and Safety During the Conference?

• Frequently Asked Questions

We know you might have more questions, and we’re here to answer those questions and hear your thoughts on health and safety for this event. Please feel free to send health and safety questions and concerns to customerservice@ACAcamps.org.