Bitcoin conference attendees report the tests positive for Covid after returning from Miami

June 14, 2021: -Some of the 12,000 attendees who flew into Miami last weekend for the most significant bitcoin event in history have started testing positive for Covid.

Bitcoin of the year 2021 drew crypto enthusiasts worldwide to the Mana Wynwood convention center in Miami’s arts and entertainment district. For three days, conference-goers packed into crowded auditoriums, glad-handed and hugged. Since the pandemic started, it was the first major conference, and many attendees said they were relieved to be out among colleagues who traded news and updates.

There was no mask mandate and no proof-of-vaccination requirement to attend. Covid was the talking point in the context of how thrilled everyone was to have arrived at the other side of the pandemic.

That is until some conference participants tweeted that they were tested positive for the coronavirus.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I attended the show after receiving two doses of the Moderna vaccine this spring. Vaccination isn’t a 100% guarantee of immunity, but at the moment, I’m not presenting any symptoms. Many of my conversations with Uber and Lyft drivers started with a mutual discussion of having been vaccinated.

Whether the conference is finally billed as a super spreader event remains to be seen.

It is unclear how many people have been affected and whether the city of Miami had a contingency plan in place for this kind of outcome. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Conference organizers told CNBC that all attendees were provided with “the current recommendations of the CDC and State of Florida,” and they had expressed to the audience that “those who were high risk or hadn’t been vaccinated should consider waiting until next year.”

On Tuesday, Florida said it would no longer report daily Covid cases and fatalities as vaccinations increases, and it begins shifting to the “next phase” of the pandemic. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Florida reported an average of eight new points per 100,000 residents in the last week, far below its pandemic high of 84 per 100,000.