BetaEtaDelota, a fury YouTube made a video that was on target that many furcon will cancel and never return but miss the mark in his criticism of state reopening and relaxing lockdown and mask requirements. The post below is bade on my response to him.
The good news many furry conventions will not make it or should downside and keep it local. As a furry 14 years I find the fandom is oversaturated with furcons are nothing more than glorified and expensive meetups. The content at most furcons is lacking compared to my local Anime, Science Fiction and Comicon. For me farther the con, the greater the expense, thus the greater of my requirement for theses cons to provide a unique panel and event experience that exceeds my local fur or anime convention. My pet peeved is a small fur con advertising in Orgon, thinking I going to spend $2000 (I fly first class country (I am 6,4) and room alone) to a small furry convention the east coast. I can see spending that much and more for Dragoncon or San Diego Comicon.
I also wonder post COVID we will still see a decline of attendance at fur cons due to unemployment due ill-advised lockdown strategy or simply realize the cost of attending conventions by all the money saved 2020. In addition, another barrier to attendance is local travel restrictions, such as 14 quarantine if one travels out of state. That is if the travel restrictions are not lifted.
Another threat to fur cons and hotels is liability and litigation. An Anglican News source brought up the brewing legal mess. They are going to be a lot of opportunist lawyers pushing class actions lawsuits. “Did your love one died of COVID-19, you may be entitled to compensation” While some fur cons are too small, ambulance chasers will see the deep pockets of hotel chains as big targets.
Finally, your covid remake are off the mark. Let took at Covdi-19; it a disease while, very contagious, has an exceptionally low infection to death ratio, about 2% or less and the vast majority of deaths are those 65 and older with underlying heath conditions. 80% of known infected persons experiences mild to no symptoms. Many in furry community, according to demographic studies, are young and fall within the 80% of minimal to asymptomatic group.
At the same time a study, comparing California, with the most draconian lockdown, to Florida, with little restrictions, show that lockdowns have a minimal impact; both states show the same growth of COVID-19 cases. The lockdowns cause more harm than good if one account for thousands of businesses permanently closed ,and jobs lost, the increase of mental illnesses, and domestic abuse. Furthermore, dire predictions in the past have not panned out in a spike but trended like the rest of the country. With vaccination of more vulnerable elderly, opening up more seem prudent.
