Dear Community:
State Support would like to provide some background and clarity around our COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming Statewide Conference.
First, some context. We developed these policies, and continue to revisit them, with an eye toward upholding one of our core values – one we believe is shared by the broader legal services community: we must always strive to respect and prioritize the most vulnerable among us.
With that core value grounding our decision-making process, we have developed policies that we hope will create an environment where the most vulnerable people have the highest level of protection that we can provide. While we understand there will always be risks involved in a gathering of this nature, for primary conference components such as plenaries and break-out sessions, and other aspects that are within our control, we’ve attempted to provide as much safety as possible. To that end:
We require full vaccination. You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of a Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax vaccine, or two weeks after a single dose of the J&J vaccine. For those who cannot be vaccinated, we are honoring exemptions provided by your organization.
We require attendees to test 3 days or less before arriving at the conference. Any type of CDC-approved test is acceptable, including rapid at-home tests. Minnesota offers every household up to 12 free rapid at-home tests: https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/at-home/
We require attendees to wear masks in session rooms and near the registration desk. We will have masks available for attendees.
We know that much of the country is moving away from having any COVID protocols. However, just as State Support has invested in making sure LawHelpMN is accessible, we are invested in making this conference as accessible as possible. As much as we would like to throw all precautions out the window, we know that doing so would exclude many people within our community who remain vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19, even at this stage in the pandemic. Knowing that, we have made the intentional decision to keep our policies in place, out of respect and concern for these individuals and their families.
We have all been through so much in the three years since the last Statewide Conference. Legal services staff have been on the frontlines, always fighting for justice even while enduring so much upheaval themselves. We are so excited to have our community come together in-person again and while it may not be ideal, we hope this conference can be a space where everyone feels as comfortable as possible, and we can celebrate all that our community has accomplished.
Sincerely,
State Support’s Conference Staff
