Duty of Care**

During these challenging times, AAAE is committed to continuing to provide a safe and healthy environment for all event participants and staff. While AAAE cannot guarantee that attendees will not become infected with COVID-19, AAAE has adopted preventative measures to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus at our events in accordance with guidance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and event venues. In addition, AAAE will comply with all applicable requirements imposed by federal, state, or local health authorities for the locality in which any event is taking place. However, the responsibility for a safe and healthy event environment is shared among the event organizers, event venues, and event attendees. Towards this end, all attendees are expected to comply with all applicable requirements imposed by federal, state, or local health authorities for the locality in which an event is taking place, and in addition to our code of conduct, they are expected to adhere to and abide by any safety precautions AAAE deems necessary to implement to protect against the spread of COVID-19, which may include mask wearing, vaccination, testing, social distancing where applicable, personal hygiene and hand sanitization, self-monitoring and self-reporting.

Specifically, you should not attend an event if you are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, unless you are fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC and have tested negative for COVID. If you believe that you may have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 within five (5) days of an event and are not fully vaccinated, you should also not attend an event. If you believe that you may have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 within five (5) days of an event and are fully vaccinated, you may attend the event but are asked to wear a facial covering at the event.

Once on site at an event, AAAE requires all attendees to regularly and thoroughly wash or sanitize their hands throughout the day and observe social distancing guidelines where applicable. AAAE also encourages attendees who are not vaccinated or who are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to wear facial coverings in meeting and event spaces. After attending an event, attendees should self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and are asked to contact AAAE at [email protected] if they experience symptoms and are not fully vaccinated or test positive for the virus within 10 days of participation in the event. Any private health or personal data that may be received in connection with such measures and precautions will be treated with the utmost care to protect its confidentiality and will only be disclosed as necessary to ensure the safety and health of attendees.

Please note that by checking the box when registering for an event, you agree to adhere to the precautions and policies contained herein and acknowledge and understand that you are knowingly and freely assuming all risks related to illness and infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, by attending this event. Further, as with our Code of Conduct, you understand that refusal to adhere to these policies and abide by these precautions may result in immediate removal from the event and cancellation of the registration, without receiving a refund.

**All AAAE policies, including those contained herein, are subject to change. Should changes be made, a notification will be sent to all registered attendees.