Coronavirus/COVID-19 and USENIX Conferences

Last reviewed on July 5, 2023

Health and Safety Plan

USENIX is committed to providing as safe a meeting space as practicable, taking into account the health of our community at large and the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work closely with event venues to follow all national, local, and CDC and WHO guidelines. We appreciate your willingness to help safeguard your fellow event attendees and respect their personal safety choices. The guidelines listed below apply to all our events for which registration is open.

Prior to Arrival

  • If you will be crossing state or international borders to attend an event, please review the locality’s entry requirements.
  • Even where vaccination against COVID-19 is not required, we strongly encourage you to receive a complete regimen of WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccinations, plus any boosters for which you are eligible.
  • Stay home if you are ill, display signs of illness, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
  • We encourage you to bring enough protective face masks to use for your travel and at the event. USENIX will have a limited number of KN95 masks available.
  • We encourage you to bring a supply of rapid antigen test kits.
  • Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates. Any update made after registration has opened would be to implement additional safety measures in response to changing circumstances. Such changes will be communicated to registered attendees and noted on the event’s webpage.

Upon Arrival

  • Do not enter the event if you feel unwell. USENIX reserves the right to refuse access to anyone who displays symptoms of illness, even if it may be a cold, influenza, or similar.
  • Show respect for your fellow attendees’ personal choices in staying safe. Maintain distance when interacting. Avoid hugging or hand shaking without asking for explicit permission.
  • We encourage you to wear a mask with strong filtering capabilities except when actively eating or drinking. This protects not just yourself but others. Proper mask wearing fully covers the nose, mouth, and chin. Recommended masks are Chinese KN95 (GB2626-2006), Korean KF94 (KMOEL - 2017-64), European FFP2 or FFP3 (EN 143), or NIOSH {N/R/P}{95,99,100}.
  • We encourage you to test yourselves for COVID-19 during (and after) the event, preferably each day before attending.
  • Regularly wash or sanitize your hands, and cough or sneeze into your elbow if you are not wearing a mask.

Need more information?

  • Email conference@usenix.org, and please specify the event about which you are inquiring.
  • Speak to USENIX staff at the event.
  • Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates.