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Studio Coronavirus Policy

Saturday, February 29, 2020 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized

While the risk of coronavirus in Sonoma county is currently low, I think it is wise for us to have a few strategies in place. Some are all-purpose and are either already studio policy or will be so going forward; others will only impact us if we wind up experiencing school closures or quarantine.

NOW/ONGOING:

(1) Please arrive a few minutes early to wash hands thoroughly with soap prior to every class. Try singing/thinking through "Twinkle," "Hungry Herbie Hippo," "Tweet Tweet Little Bird," or a similar beginner level song two times in a row while scrubbing to ensure effectivity. (Students arriving on time or late still need to wash their hands and will therefore miss out on class time while doing so; adjust your travel time by 5m to minimize the likelihood of that happening.) Please remind kids of all ages what proper hand washing entails and accompany younger kids to the sink each week.

(2) Make use of the "On Guard" hand sanitizers you received at your first class in September. If you joined us more recently than that, please ask for one at your next class. These are great for minimizing the need to rewash hands after minor germ exposure such as rubbing one's nose. I always have hand sanitizer available in class for student use.

(3) Stay home if you are sick! This is not a new policy but it bears reminding. Even if this particular coronavirus doesn't reach Sonoma county, no one wants to catch your garden variety cold or flu either.

(4) Remind your kids to be mindful of hygiene basics such as keeping hands out of mouths and noses, coughing or sneezing into elbow or tissue, etc.

IN THE EVENT OF SCHOOL CLOSURE/QUARANTINE:

(1) My studio will follow our local school districts and will close if schools in Santa Rosa and/or Sebastopol are closed or a quarantine is imposed. If so, all in person classes/lessons will be cancelled for the duration, to be replaced with a personalized combination of (recorded) video classes and (live) Skype one-on-ones. My colleagues in China report this has been working fairly well; kids in quarantine have an abundance of time to practice and definitely appreciate the boredom alleviation.

(2) If the May 2nd concert is affected, we will reschedule once the school closures and/or quarantine period have ended.

Let me know if you have any questions!