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Anime Expo is one of the biggest conventions that takes place every year in Los Angeles. Whil it was an online event last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the convention has resumed in-person events in 2022.
While the convention is popular, fans didn’t expect this kind of an outcome since the world is still recovering from the pandemic. Let’s take a look at how some of the fans reacted to the opening day of the convention.
Anime Expo compromises safety standards, leaves community worried about attendees' health
Anime Expo is one of he biggest events that are held for the community. Some of the best anime and manga content creators, artists and voice actors are invited, and fans travel from all parts of the world for its sheer scale and popularity.
Some fans didn’t expect such a large crowd this year around since the world is still recovering from the pandemic. The sense of anticipation and excitement is understandable since the expo will be graced by some of the most popular content creators like Joey (TheAnimeMan), Connor (CDawgVA), and Garnt (Gigguk).
However, fans expect the staff to maintain certain standards and have protocols in place with regard to health and safety.
According to one of the fans, that wasn’t the case. Owing to the massive crowds, the staff stopped checking for negative COVID-19 test certificates after a point. This could pose a threat to the well-being of the attendees.
This attendee was worried that the event could be a potential super-spreader owing to the large crowds and lax safety protocols.
While the possibility of this occurring is slim, one of the Twitter users was worried about the possibility of a stampede. While not much is known about the crowd control procedures that are in place, one can assume that the staff anticipated the crowd and had adequate measures in place.
Another major concern that many Twitter users have is that the image that was shared featured a ton of people without masks. Given what the world witnessed when the COVID-19 outbreak took place, one would assume that Anime Expo would have made the use of masks mandatory to enter the event.
Some members of the anime and manga community even went to the extent of expressing their delight at not attending the event. Some users even mentioned how the picture was giving them anxiety owing to the sheer volume of people that were present at the Anime Expo.
Some expressed their frustration with the way the event has been organized. One of the biggest issues fans had was that the event didn't have a ticket cap, and this led to massive crowds in the building. There came a point when the Fire Marshals and the LACC stopped allowing people inside.
Many people are concerned about the well-being of the attendees as it seems like the staff has compromised the safety standards in order to accommodate more footfalls.
