Introduction
Charmed! is committed to hosting the safest event we possibly can as the world evolves in the way it deals with COVID-19. In light of this, the Convention Committee (“ConCom”) will continue to require up to date Covid vaccinations for all attendees, as well as masking for our attendees, staff, and volunteers at Charmed! 2026.
The Covid and Masking Policy has been updated and can be considered final for Charmed! 2026, barring any unforeseen government shenanigans. Please familiarize yourself with the policy, even if you’ve already read it, as it has changed in several places!
On October 6th, 2025, the CDC signed off on the ACIP recommendation that all adults can get the updated Covid vaccination for 2025/2026, after consultation with their doctor or pharmacist, without a prescription. This means that people without a primary care physician should be able to simply make an appointment at their local pharmacy (eg. CVS, Walgreens, Costco, etc) and get vaccinated. Since this approval came so late, it may take some time for certain states to have enough vaccine in stock to offer vaccinations to everyone right away, so you should call your provider first to make sure they have vaccine in stock. If you live in Missouri, then you may still need to self-attest to an underlying medical condition in order to get your vaccination; if you live in Missouri and are having difficulty getting vaccinated, please contact Covid@charmedhypno.org or dm Noelle_8033 on Discord.
If Missouri changes its policies then this policy will be updated.
Covid vaccines should be covered by most private insurance as well as Medicaid/Medicare. If you have private insurance, do not assume! Check with your provider before you make your vaccination appointment. If you do not have private insurance or Medicaid/Medicare, you will need to pay out of pocket for your vaccination, which can start at $150 (pricing depends on provider.) People who can take advantage of goodrx.com may have access to coupons, here is a good place to start looking into that: https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19-vaccine?srsltid=AfmBOoo8ri5N2dLmp3Cb7AcQrJZ7cEYMAcMzXR4biSgZN_0zAvFfrAhg. This is the same policy as last year.
The vaccination deadline for Charmed! 2026 is: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31st, 2025. This is a hard deadline and will be enforced strenuously.
The infection deadline for Charmed! 2026 is: MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026.
Some states may still require “qualifying underlying medical conditions”. For more information about qualifying underlying medical conditions, go here: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/clinical-care/underlying-conditions.html People with underlying medical conditions should be able to self-attest to those conditions when getting their vaccinations – this means they may simply say that they have a qualifying condition without needing to show proof. Although the current ACIP recommendations have been officially approved by the Director of the CDC, please keep in mind that United States policies, including those of the Department of Health and Human Services, are currently in a time of upheaval and this Covid and Masking Policy may need to be adjusted in the future dependent upon changes that the United States government might implement. Charmed! ConCom will announce any adjustments made to the Covid and Masking Policy as soon as possible in multiple places: our Discord server, our Fetlife group, our social media (Bluesky, Instagram, Twitter), our newsletter, and our official website.
ConCom encourages everyone attending Charmed! 2026 in person to be vigilant about hand sanitizing, hand washing, and Covid testing. In the dungeon, Dungeon Monitors (“DMs”) will be extremely proactive in reminding people to clean their equipment – if you need help please ask and it will be provided! Each classroom, including the Dungeon, Con Suite, and Registration area, will be provided with air-cycling Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. For more information on Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, go here: https://cleanaircrew.org/box-fan-filters/
POLICIES:
VACCINATIONS
Please read the following policies carefully! They contain several important dates and deadlines – ignorance of these policies will not result in any exemptions to the policies.
The annual updates of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Novovax Covid vaccines were approved in August 2025 and are being rolled out starting in September 2025. In the United States these vaccines should be available to all adults in consultation with their doctor or a pharmacist. People can get the vaccination if it has been at least 2 months since their last vaccination for Covid-19. People who have not previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 are considered “up to date” with their vaccinations after receiving a single dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. It will be impossible for people who have not been previously vaccinated for Covid-19 to become up to date in time for the convention if they choose to get the Novovax vaccine instead, which requires multiple vaccinations in order to be fully effective, therefore we will not be accepting Novovax under those conditions.
In a very few cases it may be impossible for residents of specific states to get the updated 2025/2026 Covid vaccine. Those people may attend with proof of their 2024/2025 Vaccination with ConCom approval. Do not assume! Please contact Covid@charmedhypno.org or dm Noelle_8033 on Discord if you think you may qualify for this exemption.
Prospective attendees outside of the United States should check their local resources and information sources for the availability date and criteria in their country.
Under the current CDC approved guidelines, Covid vaccinations should continue to be free under most insurance policies and programs such as Medicaid/Medicare. If you have private insurance you should check with your provider before assuming that your vaccination will be covered. People without insurance or Medicaid/Medicare coverage will need to pay for their vaccinations out of pocket, the cost of which at this time may start at $150. If you are able to use GoodRX.com for coupons your price may be lower: here is a starting place to research that: https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19-vaccine?srsltid=AfmBOoo8ri5N2dLmp3Cb7AcQrJZ7cEYMAcMzXR4biSgZN_0zAvFfrAhg.
Starting in 2024 Covid vaccines were no longer offered for free by the United States government, but were offered for free in some states; it is looking likely that this will continue to be the case, so make sure to check with your specific state.
Free vaccinations may be available on a state-by-state basis; so check whether or not your state has a free adult vaccination program if you require a free option. People based in the United States can search for their local Health Department here: https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory
People who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 may be told by their doctor to wait 3 months before getting the updated vaccine.
In order to attend Charmed! 2026 in-person you must be up to date with your Covid vaccination if it is available to you: a person who is “up to date” with their vaccinations beginning September 2025 is a person who has received the latest updated vaccine, released in September 2025. (see above for criteria specific to Novovax.)
VACCINATION DEADLINES
Vaccinations typically take around two weeks to reach full efficacy but this is not an exact, predictable time period; therefore for the purposes of Charmed! 2026 vaccinations will be considered valid if they are received by or before Wednesday, December 31, 2025. This is a hard deadline and will be enforced strenuously.
In 2025, an attendee who missed this deadline was allowed to be present in the convention hotel while avoiding conspace. This was a one-time exception that was made with ConCom’s approval and full knowledge of the timing of that attendee’s vaccination. Unfortunately, this policy was copied by other attendees with similar situations without ConCom’s knowledge, and who then associated with our convention attendees without giving full disclosure of their vaccination status. We found this out after the convention was over. Due to this, in 2026 attendees who miss the vaccine deadline will NOT be offered the exception of being in the hotel but outside of conspace. Anyone caught doing this may be banned from future attendance at in-person Charmed!.
INFECTION DEADLINE
In addition, for Charmed! 2026 we are instituting an “Infection Deadline.” In 2025 we had multiple attendees who caught Covid within two weeks of the convention start date. In past years, people in this scenario self-selected to forgo attending the convention in person, so we did not think to address this type of situation in the 2025 Covid and Masking Policy. Since it is apparent from our experience in 2025 that this self-selection no longer takes place, and since the recovery time from a Covid infection is unpredictable, and since the most common Covid medication on the market (Paxlovid) often results in rebound infections, for Charmed! 2026 anyone who tests positive for Covid after January 1st, 2026, will be ineligible to attend the convention in-person. Out of an abundance of caution, an initial positive test result will be taken as confirmation of infection, regardless of subsequent testing. Any attendee who chooses to attend Charmed! 2026 in person without having disclosed a Covid infection after January 1st, 2026 may be banned from attending Charmed! in the future.
PROOF OF VACCINATION
In-person attendees of Charmed! 2026 who are eligible to receive the updated 2025/2026 vaccine will be required to show proof of “up to date” vaccination received in good time – that is, they must show proof that they have received the Fall 2025 vaccine update by or before December 31st, 2025. Proof may be in the form of one of the following: official paper vaccine card, electronic vaccine card, photocopy or digital representation of official vaccine card, website listing your name/vaccination date, dated email for an applicable vaccination appointment, a photograph of some part of the vaccination process (eg. the vial of serum), or other applicable media. Your proof should include your legal name, the date of your vaccination, and the type of vaccination (eg. Covid, as opposed to flu, etc.) We do not specify a specific brand of vaccine, unless you are being vaccinated for Covid for the first time with Novovax. First-time Novovax vaccinations require two shots in order to be effective, spread over a time period that is longer than that available for Charmed! 2026 in-person attendance. First-time Novovax Covid vaccination will not be accepted for attendance in person at Charmed! 2026.
If you are unsure that your form of proof will be valid, please contact us before arriving at the event. In-person attendees of Charmed! 2026 who are not eligible for the updated 2025/2026 vaccine will be required to show proof of their 2024/2025 vaccinations. Proof may be in the form of one of the following: official paper vaccine card, electronic vaccine card, photocopy or digital representation of official vaccine card, website listing your name/vaccination date, dated email for an applicable vaccination appointment, a photograph of some part of the vaccination process (eg. the vial of serum), or other applicable media. Your proof should include your legal name, the date of your vaccination, and the type of vaccination (eg. Covid, as opposed to flu, etc.) We do not specify a specific brand of vaccine. If you are unsure that your form of proof will be valid, please contact us before arriving at the event.
IN GOOD TIME
Please do not wait until the final week of the eligible time period to get your vaccination. We had too many people that we had to rule as ineligible to attend in person in 2025 because they chose to schedule their vaccinations very close to or even on the day of the deadline who were unable to reschedule in a timely fashion when disaster struck and their appointments got canceled.
Proof of vaccination will be verified at badge pick-up.
VACCINATION EXEMPTIONS
Residents of countries where Covid vaccines are not available in any way to the general population may be considered exempt from the requirement to be up-to-date by United States standards as long as they have received and can show confirmation that they received the primary course of vaccinations; that is, the original shot plus the two follow up shots. If you live in a country with a national health service or equivalent that limits who qualifies for the Covid vaccine but can still pay to get it privately, then you will not be offered the exemption.
We ask that people in non-U.S. countries who are eligible to receive updated vaccines continue to do so.
If you think you may qualify for this exemption, you must contact Charmed! in advance of the event before January 1, 2026 for confirmation. Do not assume that you qualify.
Attendees who are offered exemptions to the 2026 Covid-19 policy will be required to test daily while in attendance in person at Charmed! 2026 and to send verification of their negative test result to a member of ConCom or official representative before they are allowed entrance into official con space.
Failure to follow this policy may result in that person’s badge being pulled and them no longer being able to attend Charmed! 2026 in person.
CONTACT INFORMATION
You can contact us using one of the following ways:
Email us at: Covid@Charmedhypno.org
Contact us through Charmed! social media:
Fetlife: https://fetlife.com/groups/121240?sp=1
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/charmedhypno
Bluesky: @charmed2025.bsky.social
Discord: DM @Noelle – I have answers!
COVID VACCINATION EXEMPTIONS
INFECTION EXEMPTIONS
People who are unable to get the updated Covid-19 vaccine for a three month period ending with the final day of Charmed! 2026 (January 18th, 2026) due to a Covid-19 infection that happens within the window of Sunday, October 26th, 2025 to January 1, 2026 will be considered “up to date” for the purposes of in-person attendance. You must contact ConCom if you become Covid-positive within this window for this exemption to be allowed.
IMPORTANT: if you have a Covid-19 infection that results in you being able to get the updated vaccine within the two week time period before Charmed! 2026 begins – that is, January 1st through January 14th – you will not be considered “up to date” with your vaccination and will be ineligible to attend Charmed! 2026 in person.
PLEASE NOTE: the three month waiting period is a CDC recommendation and it may be possible for people to get the updated vaccine within that time period. Ask your provider just in case.
MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS
We will continue to assess the status of attendees with possible medical exemptions to the vaccine policy on a case by case basis. If you are affected by this policy, please contact us as soon as you can via email at Covid@charmedhypno.org or dm Noelle_8033 on Discord.
TESTING REQUIREMENTS
In-person attendees at Charmed! 2026 will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of when they pick up their badge, (over-the-counter test is okay), in picture form in order to pick up their badge. “Within” means “at any time within the 48 hour period before you intend to pick up your badge.” It does not mean “exactly 48 hours from the moment you intend to pick up your badge.” Please do not bring a physical test with you to badge pick up – a picture on your phone is sufficient. Please do not send your testing proof via dm to any Charmed! staff members – the only member of Charmed! staff who should be seeing your legal name and identification are those from registration who will be available at badge pick-up.
A small number of tests may be available via Convention Operations for people who need them; however, we cannot guarantee this so please do your best to procure your own.
DAILY TESTING
In 2025, we did not require that attendees test daily but did highly recommend that they do so. For 2026, we are again highly recommending that people test daily before entering convention space. We believe that the lack of reports of positive test results during the 2025 convention was due to lack of testing or lack of reporting, and may have contributed to a false sense of security for some of our attendees. PLEASE DO DAILY TESTS. Over the counter tests are excellent at detecting a viral load in someone who is contagious, and are currently the best way for people to determine if they need to isolate themselves.
MASKING POLICY
In-person attendees at Charmed! 2026 will be required to wear well-fitting, high quality masks, such as N95s, KN95s, and FFP2s (or equivalent) at all times while in official convention space. This may include multi-layer cloth masks with filters with edges that sit flush to the face, silicon masks with filters, and non-disposable masks with replaceable filter systems. Masks with unfiltered respiratory valves are not acceptable. Pleated surgical masks are no longer considered acceptable.
The list of mask types that fall under the heading of “well-fitting, high quality masks, such as N95s, KN95s, and FFP2s (or equivalent)” is too long to include here. If you are unsure that your mask meets our requirements, please contact ConCom for clarification.
Examples of unacceptable masks include: masks with unfiltered respiratory valves, bandanas, gaiters, and scarfs.
Attendees will be required to mask in all con-related areas, including the private convention area and Con Suite, as well as semi-public areas such as registration and the hallway outside of the upstairs classrooms.
Presenters and demo bottoms may choose to remain unmasked only while actively presenting.
There are no mask exceptions for evening social events and dungeon play, including hosts and individuals participating in events as performers.
Masks may be raised, but not removed, in order to sip water and/or eat small snacks in Convention Space as needed.
A small number of masks may be available via Convention Operations for people who need them; however, we cannot guarantee this so please do your best to procure your own.
There are no exemptions to the masking policy.
GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY
Attendees at in-person Charmed! 2026 who choose to attend while experiencing an illness that is not Covid, or who develop an illness that is not Covid, or begin to experience symptoms that could point to any illness including Covid, should follow a good neighbor policy designed to protect their fellow attendees. This includes daily testing for potential Covid, masking in any public area (eg. outside of conspace), self-isolating as much as possible, and fully informing the people with whom you interact of your illness or potential illness. Be a good neighbor – do not expose your fellow attendees to illness.
COVID INFECTIONS AND ISOLATION POLICY
Attendees, including all staff members, volunteers, presenters, etc, will be required to report and self-isolate if they test positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2026.
For the purposes of Charmed! 2026, an attendee who is “self-isolating” will remain in their private room as much as possible and will not enter any shared hotel spaces with convention members, including but not limited to: official convention spaces (areas past our security check points), shared convention spaces (eg. the badge pick up area, the hallway outside of upstairs classrooms), and the Charmed! 2026 Con Suite (the enclosed room outside of regular con space that is across from the public fireplace seating area.)
ConCom reserves the right to expand this list during the Convention in order to accommodate the number of in-person attendees present at Charmed! 2026.
Out of an abundance of caution, an initial positive test result will be taken as confirmation of infection, regardless of subsequent testing.
The identity of anyone that contracts Covid-19 while at Charmed! 2026 will be kept anonymous unless otherwise unavoidable, unless that person wishes to share their identity.
Failure to report and self-isolate will result in the infected attendee’s badge being pulled and potentially a ban from Charmed! in the future.
Anyone becoming positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2026 will be required to report and self-isolate. For the purposes of contact tracing they will need to identify to ConCom the classes and areas where they have been, including private spaces, and ConCom will then inform the attendee population that they may have been exposed to Covid-19. Charmed! will continue to accept reports of positive tests for the purposes of contact tracing through Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
SELF-REPORTING FORM
In order to expedite self-reporting, we have provided this anonymous form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YfnIYejD0nGAXE55SUeDHzX4_yzZ2Vce5IK4j_SHwQI/edit
Please note that the form will not be available until January 15, 2026.
Charmed! 2026 is committed to providing as safe an environment as possible for our attendees. This may mean that our vaccination/masking/testing requirements are stronger/stricter than those of other events or organizations. We understand that this can be frustrating, and we appreciate your adherence to these policies that are for the benefit of every attendee at Charmed! 2026.