Attendees at this year’s in-person Clinical Congress should be aware of COVID-19 vaccination and masking requirements prior to their travel to San Diego, CA. The policy was last updated in September. The ACS will continually review global conditions and reserves the right to update and/or change this policy as needed and at any time.

To pick up a registration badge, attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or complete the alternate pathway. 

In addition, the ACS strongly encourages that masks be worn by all participants, at all times, at all meeting events, unless actively dining or speaking at a microphone. Masks will be available for those who have not brought their own. Guests are required to wear masks at all times. Masks will be required at Convocation on Sunday, October 16, and at the Opening Ceremony on Monday, October 17, because of the large number of attendees and the proximity of seating.

See the COVID vaccination requirements on the Clinical Congress webpage.

Research Shows COVID-19 Precautions Work at Surgical Meetings

Supporting the ACS’s COVID vaccination policy, recent research has shown that a strong, effective COVID-19 prevention strategy can make an academic surgical conference a safe experience. A study based on the February 2022 Academic Surgical Congress and published in September looked at the COVID-19 infection rate at the meeting, which was held at the peak of the Omicron surge. The numbers suggested that in-person attendees had no greater chance of contracting COVID-19 than virtual attendees.