I do actually have considerable sympathy for the convention. They're in an impossible position currently. If they unilaterally cancel, they risk the future of the event and may end up in financial or even legal trouble. But if they go ahead against official advice and someone gets ill or worse, the event's reputation will be ruined anyway. I have no evidence for this, but I wouldn't be surprised if, deep down within the bowels of BABSCon, there might be some considerable relief if (when?) the official advisory becomes a mandatory requirement.
There's a wider issue here, and it's not confined to this fandom. It is unconscionable that an event that does (what I think in this case is) the morally correct thing and announces changes before it absolutely has to risks its very existence by doing so. The coronavirus situation is such that "business as usual" for large events is not merely unreasonable but ridiculous. I'm not familiar with Californian law and practice on such things, but I would suggest that events should urgently be given legal protection if they postpone or cancel on public health grounds.
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