Reopening FAQs

In California, unvaccinated people are required to wear face masks in all indoor public settings, including our convention center.

Policies for vaccinated guests vary by event. Our State and County are following CDC guidance in recommending everyone wear a face mask in indoor public settings, whether you've been vaccinated or not. Individual event organizers may be more restrictive than this guidance.

If you're asking as an attendee or exhibitor, please check the website for the event you are attending to confirm the event's policy.

As of June 15, there aren't limits on attendance.  For indoor events with more than 1,000 attendees, the following public health guidance applies:

• Verification of fully vaccinated status or pre-entry negative test result is required of all participants. 
• Information will be prominently placed on all communications, including the reservation and ticketing systems, to ensure guests are aware of testing and vaccination requirements (including acceptable modes of verification).
• Attendees must follow CDPH Guidance for Face Coverings.

Our understanding is that the 1,000 threshold applies to event participants, and staff working within the building will not count toward the threshold.

Yes. The 1,000 threshold (for vaccination and testing requirements) is per event if attendees from the different events do not mix.

The State is not requiring any changes to room capacities.

People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19: two weeks or more after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or two weeks or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J]/Janssen). 

See CDPH Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Persons for additional information.

Yes; international travelers will need to comply with federal requirements for their travel. 

See this fact sheet for travelers entering the U.S. via land ports of entry, released October 29.

There are not any local requirements for international attendees beyond those that apply to domestic attendees.

Per CDPH guidance, the following are acceptable as proof of full vaccination: 

• Vaccination card (which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided and date last dose administered); OR 
• Photo of a vaccination card as a separate document; OR 
• Photo of the attendee's vaccine card stored on a phone or electronic device; OR 
• Documentation of vaccination from a healthcare provider; OR
• Digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader displays to the reader client name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type; OR
• Documentation of vaccination from other contracted employers who follow these vaccination records guidelines and standards.

Yes, we can provide information about nearby locations and testing providers.

Testing must be conducted within 72 hours before event start time (both PCR and antigen are acceptable). Results of the test must be available prior to entry into the event or venue.

Verification: The following are acceptable as proof of a negative COVID-19 test result: printed document (from the test provider or laboratory) OR an email or text message displayed on a phone from the test provider or laboratory. The information should include person's name, type of test performed, and negative test result (date of test must be within prior 72 hours). See the CDPH website for additional information.

Vaccination record cards are intended to provide recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine with information about the type of vaccine they received, and when they may be able to receive a second dose of the vaccine. By misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the unauthorized use of an official government agency's seal (such as HHS or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) is a crime, and may be punishable under Title 18 United States Code, Section 1017, and other applicable laws. 

No, per guidance issued in August 2021, event organizers do not need to retain these records.

Since March 2020, we have worked closely with City, County, and Federal public health officials to support a healthy environment for emergency response efforts that have taken place in our building during the pandemic. With their guidance, we enhanced our cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention protocols, and conducted extensive employee training. Having supported continuous, 24/7 activities within our building for well over a year, we will have one of the most experienced teams in the country when events resume.

Our systems are carefully managed to provide the appropriate amount of indoor air circulation and proper outside makeup air. We have also installed additional hand sanitizer stations and hygiene reminder signage throughout the building.

Our food and beverage partner, Centerplate, earned an additional hygiene verification label, Rise SAFE, that is specifically for catering operations. Rise SAFE is managed by Centerplate's parent company, Sodexo, and Bureau Veritas, an independent world leader in testing, inspection and certification.

Inside the convention center building, per government guidance, masks are required for unvaccinated people and recommended for vaccinated people. The State has updated its face covering guidance to align with CDC recommendations. Individual meeting planners may choose to have policies that go beyond State minimums. Please check the website for the event you're attending.

Our SDCC employees and business partners will be subject to additional Cal/OSHA COVID-19 standards.

As of June 15, there are not any social/physical distancing requirements.

Yes; our guidelines will reflect existing fire marshal and building capacity limits.

No, but event organizers should cooperate and work closely with their local health departments to assist in any contact tracing efforts. Additionally, employers are subject to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), if applicable to them, which requires that employees be notified of an exposure.

We recommend individuals sign up for CA Notify as an added layer of protection to receive alerts when they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

There aren't restrictions on traveling to San Diego or California from other states in the United States. See California’s current travel recommendations and Visit California’s FAQs.

See the CDC website for up-to-date requirements for air travel and the San Diego International Airport (SAN) website for additional details about what to expect at the airport.

In San Diego County, more than 90% of the eligible population has had at least one vaccine dose and more than 81% are fully vaccinated. The San Diego Convention Center has provided several opportunities for employees to be vaccinated onsite. Additional employee and business partner protocols will be determined based on ongoing data and consultation with health officials.

There is no State mandate for all hospitality and event employees to be vaccinated. San Diego’s hospitality industry has implemented best-in-class safety protocols, including enhanced cleaning and staff training, and have been successfully hosting leisure guests since last summer.

The Convention Center and hotels will be appropriately staffed to provide guests the visitor experience they have come to expect from San Diego.

During the pandemic, we have been able to retain many Convention Center employees to support the homeless shelter and then the emergency intake site, which is an even larger effort. In March, we began steadily rebuilding our staff, especially in the operations areas such as facility and cleaning services, engineering, and event management. Our business partners, including Centerplate and our technology partners, have also been rebuilding their staff to support the emergency intake site. At this time, we do not expect major staffing challenges.

Yes, they are open for events. See the latest State guidance for details.

Yes! San Diego still offers near-perfect weather, 70 miles of coastline, unlimited opportunities to explore the outdoors as well as a rich and diverse arts and culture scene. In addition, many of our hotels, attractions, restaurants, wineries, breweries and other hospitality businesses have innovated and renovated to provide new experiences—all with visitors’ health and well-being top of mind.