ROSEVILLE, Calif. — The mass vaccination site “@ The Grounds” in Roseville will suspend operations for two days at the start of April due to a scheduled gathering of local anime fans. But despite a little rancor on social media, Placer County health officials say it’s no big deal.
A swap meet hosted by SacAnime is taking over the Robbelen Center at @ The Grounds Friday through Sunday.
A social media post about the event on the group’s Facebook page was met with sharp criticism by some.
“Swap Meets aren’t essential and we’re on the verge of another COVID surge if we keep getting too comfortable. Glad to know where y’alls priorities lie in not cancelling the event and shutting down a vaccination site,” commented Eliza Racine.
“I'm so glad an anime convention is being held in the same area they're administering vaccines. Bonus points for delaying my 2nd dose past the recommended 28 days,” Brian Lowery wrote.
“Imagine holding an anime convention disguised as a swap meet during a pandemic. And then taking peoples vaccination appointments away,” Andrew Evans posted.
On Tuesday, convention organizers took to Twitter in an attempt to address concerns.
The event has been on the schedule since mid-2020, according to @ The Grounds General Manager Charlie Gardner.
“We’ve adjusted the clinic schedule to help accommodate those seeking vaccinations, while also meeting a long-standing agreement with an event organizer,” Gardner said in a press release. “SacAnime, like all events @ the Grounds during the pandemic, will follow health and safety protocols, including limiting attendance and requiring face masks.”
The timing though coincidentally is happening just when Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new COVID eligibility for Californians age 50 and up – beginning Thursday, April 1.
Still, Placer County Health and Human Services spokesperson Katie Combs-Prichard tells ABC10 there will be no disruption in vaccinations.
“The majority of appointments this week at the Grounds were reserved for second doses, and we’ve been able to expand our hours early in the week to accommodate all of those. There would not have been a large number of first dose appointments for newly-eligible groups at the county clinic those days even if it had been open,” Combs-Prichard said.
Combs-Prichard said the closure is only impacting the vaccination site at @ The Grounds, and with other large-scale providers, Placer County will still be operating at normal capacity.
“Due to some local reporting, some believe this is causing us to ‘sit’ on vaccine, when in fact we are operating at our normal capacity this week,” she said.
As for the sanitation process to prep the clinic for reopening following the event, Combs-Prichard said they are taking down and storing all chairs, tables, and other equipment used for the vaccination site in advance.
Read more from ABC10
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