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California Health Secretary Was Not Consulted About L.A. Comic-Con; Event Is “Inconsistent” With State Guidance

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly on Tuesday gave updates on where the state’s counties are in terms of the four-tier reopening system, which includes widespread (purple), substantial (red), moderate (orange) and minimal (yellow). When asked about L.A. Comic-Con, which is set to hold an in-person confab December 11-13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Ghaly said that the event is “inconsistent” when it comes to state guidance and is “premature” in a county like Los Angeles which is in the purple tier. He added that it’s too far out to think about it now.

Ghaly said that, to his knowledge, none of his staff have consulted with organizers of the event, which began selling early-bird tickets today. Ghaly revealed that guidance for convention centers should also be out soon and that could possibly provide a road map for reopening, but they will not be in the purple tier and most likely not in the red tier, where indoor and outdoor concert venues remain closed.

L.A. Comic-Con said that there will be a virtual component to their confab. They have released 4,500 tickets for the potential in-person event and will have a maximum of 12,000 tickets sold for each day. Organizers say safety is their top concern and that if the in-person component of the confab happens, all attendees will be required to wear a facemask and all cleaning guidlines from the Los Angeles County and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control will be followed before, in between and after all sessions.

Organizers are remaining on track for the in-person event and said they will limit it to 20%-25% capacity with expanded space at the convention center to adhere to social distancing. However, if the L.A. Department of Public Health does not approve the event, organizers will pull the plug on the in-person event.

In July, San Diego Comic-Con canceled its annual event and shifted to a virtual edition. New York Comic-Con also canceled its annual in-person confab and will go all-digital October 8-11. Meanwhile, DC FanDome served up an elaborate virtual event to fans, giving previews and panels for TV series, movies and comics.

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