COVID-19
This page will contain all updates, from newest to oldest, about our work and plans for Northwest Model United Nations - Seattle (NWMUN-Seattle) with relation to COVID-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, also known as "novel coronavirus"). This page will also have some general information on the disease as it relates to our planning; we encourage all readers to seek out other sources of information on the disease broadly. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary-General.Â
Resources:
Steps to Prevent Illness (CDC)
Centers for Disease Control Resources on COVID-19
Washington Department of Health: Novel Coronavirus Outbreak 2019
City of Seattle Resources on COVID-19
September 6, 2021
NWMUN-Seattle 2021 will require vaccines against COVID-19 to attend, with limited exemptions available.
For US-based delegates, this means one dose of the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
For Canada-based delegates, this means one dose of the Janssen vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccines.
The final dose of the vaccine should be received on or before November 4, to allow for 2 weeks to pass (achieving the fullest extent of the immunity provided by the vaccine) before people begin gathering at the hotel for NWMUN-Seattle 2021.
More information on what constitutes proof of vaccination, how verification will work, and exemptions will be posted at this page soon.
August 23, 2021
Following a recommendation from all of Washington State's 35 local health officers to wear a mask in all public indoor settings, the Governor has issued a mask mandate for all individuals 5 years or older to wear a mask in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. We will follow this and all other relevant public health guidance for the conference.
August 10, 2021
The NWA Board of Directors has decided to hold NWMUN-Seattle 2021 in-person! The Board and conference Executive Secretariat will be publishing detailed guidance as to our COVID-19 protocols in the future. However, the summary version is below:
Vaccinations will be required for participation (the conference will respect and honor a limited range of exemptions, with more details coming soon.)
Mask usage will be required at all times while on the floors of the hotel where the conference is taking place, and is suggested for the duration of time attendees are at the conference (including in the lobby, hotel rooms, etc.) Masks may be removed by speakers, at their discretion, while giving a speech.
Because of the nature of the Delegate Social, the NWMUN-Seattle Executive Secretariat and NWA Board of Directors do not currently feel that this event can occur while maintaining our intended COVID protocols. As a result, there will be no Delegate Social in 2021. (Other non-committee events, including Opening Ceremonies, Closing Ceremonies, and the Opportunity Fair, will still be held.)
More information will be posted at a later date. This decision is being made in early August, and may be revisited in light of new information related to COVID-19 or governmental responses to it, as well as in light of potential policy changes by our venue.
NWMUN-Seattle 2021 is not raising our in-person conference rates relative to the 2019-2020 academic year, and is extending our early registration rates through September 30 to allow delegations to lock in our lowest possible rates.
Finally, the NWA Board of Directors has not made any decisions about NWMUN-Portland 2022 at present. When decisions are made related to that conference, they will not be posted here, but instead will be posted at portland.nwmun.org/covid-19.
August 8, 2021
The State of Oregon has reinstated a statewide indoor mask mandate. King County, the Washington State county in which Seattle is located, has also mandated indoor mask usage in specific circumstances, which apply to a potential in-person conference as well. As such, the NWA Board of Directors expects that a hypothetical in-person NWMUN-Seattle 2021 would require mask usage throughout the conference.
July 20, 2021
NWMUN's leadership team is currently evaluating whether to hold the conference in person or not, as well as whether (if the conference is in person) vaccination requirements will be in place. If the conference is held in person, the leadership team may also decide to hold (or not hold) a Delegate Social. To help us make the first of these decisions - whether to hold the conference virtually or in person - please fill out the NWMUN-Seattle 2021 Location Survey.
June 30, 2021
The State of Washington officially declared itself reopen as of today, with this status meaning capacity restrictions, indoor and outdoor event restrictions, and more are lifted. This status does not affect the ability of businesses and public spaces (including event planners) to require masks or vaccines. Additionally, some COVID-19 requirements remain in place, including abiding by CDC guidance regarding masks, which means that in some settings all people must continue to wear masks and in some additional settings unvaccinated people must continue to wear masks.
April 1, 2021
NWMUN-Seattle opened registration for the 2021 conference this year, and is maintaining the unique refund policy originally created for the 2020 conference as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our intention with this refund policy is to allow attendees to register with peace of mind. This refund policy is listed in full below.
In the event the conference needs to be canceled (which at present is not planned or even likely, but may occur due to legal requirements, venue closures, or an organizational assessment of the safety and health of our attendees and volunteers), all payments made to NWMUN-Seattle 2021 will be refunded in full.
In the event the conference needs to be rescheduled (which at present is not planned or even likely, but may occur due to legal requirements, venue closures, or an organizational assessment of the safety and health of our attendees and volunteers), all schools will be offered the option of maintaining their registration for the new dates, or receiving a full refund.
In the event an attending school has a municipal, county, state, provincial, or national regulation or order not to attend events, their payments will be refunded in full.
In the event that NWMUN-Seattle 2021 reduces fees for any reason after an attending school has paid, the excess payments made will be refunded in full to reduce that school's total fees paid to their lowest possible rates.