SAA Response - COVID-19 Restrictions From 02/12
Wednesday 2nd of December by Charlotte Pilkington
Keywords: COVID-19, COVID-19 Secure, Government Announcement
We are able to run the majority of classes back in person in our COVID-19 secure school!
STUDENTS WHO ARE UNDER 21 YEARS OLD
I am so happy to announce that we will be able to deliver in person classes from Thurs 03/12! We will be keeping a close eye on the fortnightly updates, but assuming we stay in Tier 2 or move down to Tier 1 we will be able to continue to provide dance classes in person. Rules for classes in Tier 3 appear to be contradictory across the government guidance so we are seeking clarity on this.
SAA, Denmead Community Centre and Waterlooville Community Centre are now liable for £10,000 fines if we are not running as a COVID-19 secure business. To help ensure we fulfil our legal responsibilities we ask that:
- All students (except those under the age of 11 years) must wear a face covering when entering and departing the communal areas of the buildings (corridors) and these may only be removed once you have entered the hall you are dancing in
- Parents/guardians should remain in cars as much as possible. Please do not culminate in groups outside of the halls (rule of 6 and social distancing apply in the car parks)
- Please wait until you have had your temperature checked and hands sanitised before entering the hall you are dancing in
- Keep to the one way systems in place, a reminder of these are in our SAA COVID-19 Secure Information Pack here
Well done to everyone that participated online, we appreciate it isn’t easy and takes over family space and time at home. We are so proud that you kept up your dance training and are looking forward to seeing you in person!
GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE USED FOR UNDER 18 YEARS OLD
The full guidance we are complying with in Tier 2 can be found below...
Local Restriction Tiers - All Tiers - The following extract has been taken from the www.gov.uk website on 02/12:
“All tiers
All businesses and venues that are open are expected to follow COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers. In all tiers, the following businesses and venues can remain open:
• certain leisure and sporting facilities such as gyms, sports courts and facilities, leisure centres, fitness and dance studios, golf courses, swimming pools, riding centres, outdoor playgrounds – subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier."
Local Restriction Tiers - Tier 2: High alert - The following extract has been taken from the www.gov.uk website on 02/12:
“In Tier 2
• organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes will only be permitted if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with). There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, which can take place with larger groups mixing"
Tier 2 Guidance - The following extract has been taken from the www.go.uk website on 02/12:
“Meeting in larger groups
• There are exceptions where people can continue to gather indoors, or in groups larger than 6 outdoors, including:
for supervised activities provided for children, and those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020, including wraparound care (before and after school childcare), childrens’ groups and activities for under-18s, and children’s playgroups”
GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE USED FOR 18 TO 21 YEARS OLD
As you are training in the ISTD Intermediate syllabus you are able to return to class as this is considered as formal training of a vocational course. The full guidance we are complying with in Tier 2 for Intermediate students can be found below...
Local Restriction Tiers - The following extract has been taken from the www.gov.uk website on 02/12:
“Exemptions from gatherings limits in all tiers
• for childcare, education or training – meaning education and training provided as part of a formal curriculum”
Local Restriction Tiers - All Tiers - The following extract has been taken from the www.gov.uk website on 02/12:
“All tiers
All businesses and venues that are open are expected to follow COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers. In all tiers, the following businesses and venues can remain open:
• certain leisure and sporting facilities such as gyms, sports courts and facilities, leisure centres, fitness and dance studios, golf courses, swimming pools, riding centres, outdoor playgrounds – subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier."
STUDENTS WHO ARE 21+ YEARS OLD IN OUR ADULT DANCE CLASSES
We are so disappointed to announce that from the government advice we have read (and re-read and re-read again in the deep depths of the www.gov.uk website!) it looks like we are unable to provide adult classes whilst under Tier 2 restrictions. We have reached out for clarity on this from our local Environmental Health Officers, our COVID-19 Risk Assessment supplier and the local gyms who have re-opened group classes, to confirm if there is guidance on an exception for us.
Prior to the November lockdown there was an exception where we could run in larger groups as all our adult classes (Adult Ballet, Adult Dance Fit and both classes of Adult Tap) were held in the 'bubble model' and adults did not mix with any other SAA bubble. However the explanation of this model has been removed from the current published government guidelines.
For now, we will need to keep our adult classes online to ensure SAA are running a COVID-19 secure business. We are following the Tier 2 guidance from the www.gov.uk website here as of 02/12:
“organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes will only be permitted if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with)”.
Thank you for your participation online, we appreciate it isn’t easy and takes over family space and time at home. We are so pleased that you have kept up your dance training and are looking forward to seeing you all in person when we are allowed!
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