Editing Virtualcon (Furrydelphia 2020) (section)

== Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic ==
Furrydelphia 2020 was first announced on August 18, 2019 at the conclusion of the previous convention, [[Celtic Knights (Furrydelphia 2019)|Celtic Knights]]. The theme, which was set to be entitled Galactic Fleet, was announced at the end of November that same year, with Dealers Den and Marketplace applications opening the following month. On March 11, 2020, the [[wikipedia:World_Health_Organization|World Health Organization]] (WHO) declared [[wikipedia:SARS-CoV-2|SARS‑CoV‑2]] (the virus known for causing [[wikipedia:COVID-19|COVID-19]]) a [[wikipedia:COVID-19_pandemic|global pandemic]], leading to nearly all large gatherings to be cancelled for the foreseeable future across the United States. Due to the uncertainty of the virus, Furrydelphia staff held a virtual town hall via [[wikipedia:Live_streaming|live-streaming]] platform [[wikipedia:Twitch_(service)|Twitch]] on May 16, 2020 to discuss the status of the convention<ref>https://x.com/Furrydelphia/status/1261710424950661120?s=20</ref>. A [https://x.com/Furrydelphia/status/1261754594767626240?s=20 summary] of the town hall was posted following its completion later that day. 

On June 5, 2020, a [https://www.furrydelphia.wiki/images/b/b2/Covid-19pressrelease.png press release] was distributed via the Furrydelphia website and subsequent social media platforms announcing the official cancellation of the in-person event and delay of the Galatic Fleet theme. Pennsylvania's continued limit of 250 participants per gathering (as part of the "Green Phase" of [[wikipedia:COVID-19_pandemic_in_Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania's COVID-19 response]]) was cited as the main factor in this decision. In the press release, convention chairman [[Drayne]] detailed the immediate future of Furrydelphia, including the forwarding of all purchased registration to the next in-person event (which would be [[Back to Con (Furrydelphia 2021)|Back to Con]] in 2021), along with the announcement of virtual events such as a Dealers Den, panels, and more via VRChat.