Long Beach Convention Center reopening for conventions after prolonged closure due to pandemic

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- After being shut down for about a year and a half due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Long Beach Convention Center on Thursday is reopening with a slew of scheduled conventions.

The facility has served multiple roles during the pandemic, serving as a vaccination super site and later temporarily housing hundreds of migrant children. The children were provided with educational and health care services before being reunited with family members or sponsors.

Three conventions are planned for August at the location, organizers said, including the 2021 Graphics Pro Expo, a three-day event that is slated to begin on Thursday.

Coronavirus health guidelines will remain in place, including mask requirements.

On July 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was ceasing operations ahead of schedule at the site's emergency intake shelter after reuniting 1,538 migrant children with family members or sponsors.

Long Beach shelter closes after most migrant children reunited with family, sponsors

Three months after the Long Beach Convention Center was turned into a massive shelter for migrant children who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border unaccompanied, all of them have left.