Some LEGO convention attendees at risk of coronavirus exposure
Wake County says some BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention attendees are at risk of exposure to the coronavirus known as COVID-19.
A person who attended the convention on March 8 at the Raleigh Convention Center has tested positive, and had symptoms of the disease while she or he was at the convention. People who are symptomatic are most likely to be contagious.
Wake County asks anyone who was at the event from 2 — 4 p.m. on March 8 to call the COVID-19 information line at 919-856-7044.
They will ask the following things:
- Confirm the caller was at the event on March 8 from 2-4 p.m.
- Ask if the caller is experiencing symptoms.
- Get the caller’s contact information.
“Because the crowd was so large and so mobile, we have no way to identify who came in close contact with this person during the Lego convention,” said Dr. Jose Cabanas, the county’s EMS Director/Medical Director who is overseeing public health operations Sunday in the Emergency Operations Center. “We need the community’s help to determine who was potentially at risk of exposure to the virus.”
Several of the interactive attractions at the weekend event were replaced with non-touchable LEGO displays as a precaution. Refunds were not offered, but sick people were told they would be offered a ticket for the 2021 show.
At the time, Wake County and the state were not recommending events be canceled. Less than a week later, NC Gov. Roy Cooper banned mass gatherings of more than 100 people.
The county doesn’t believe anyone at the convention center outside of that time frame was at risk of contract COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Some LEGO convention attendees at risk of coronavirus exposure."
