Our 'Additional Measures' Policy - updated 8 April 2021
PREVENTING NON- COVID INFECTIOUS ILLNESS:
If, in the week before a class you develop ANY symptoms of a cold-type illness or gastric upset however mild or 'only feel a bit sweaty' or 'only have a tickly cough' or 'just feel a bit under the weather' or your food tastes funny or your sense of smell is a bit off or you ache or have had a bout of diarrhea you must not attend class. Although some of the symptoms listed here are beyond Covid common symptoms, the objective of adding them is to keep ALL infectious illness away from our classes, not just Covid-19.
Please do not return to classes until you are symptom free (even if you have tested Covid negative, you may have something else which you can pass on)
OTHER NON INFECTIOUS COUGHS / SNEEZES
Asthma / Hayfever etc:
We have a few Asthma sufferers, and people who have 'ongoing coughs' due to DIAGNOSED non-infectious medical conditions or medication they are taking and hayfever season is again upon us. The NHS Advice for people who have pre-diagnosed non-infectious coughs is: If you notice a CHANGE in your cough frequency / type or have a temperature, then isolate yourself and seek advice from NHS 111.
If you 'ALWAYS / OFTEN' have a cough and that cough has not changed you may attend classes under the following conditions:
Please take up a position in the class nearest to the door and if you get a coughing / sneezing fit, leave the building until it has subsided for the peace of mind of the rest of the group.
Bring / take whatever meds help your cough and a drink of water if that helps. I reiterate that this allowance is ONLY for people who have a pre-diagnosed ongoing non-infectious heath condition (such as asthma or hay fever) which causes a cough / sneeze.
You must let me know in advance that you have such a condition. It may be necessary for me to let other class member know to allay concerns of catching COVID
If you have a non-infectious cough or sneezing condition then you must wear a facecovering at all times whilst in the class AND additionally firmly cover your face with a tissue if you cough /sneeze.
VENUE SPECIFIC INFO:
At The Mytchett Centre the entrance and exit doors are the external fire escape doors which lead directly out of the hall into the grounds, on the left of the building as you face the front. The main entrance which you may have used before is 'out of bounds' but still available as a fire escape if needed.
At Blackwater & Hawley Memorial Hall the entrance / exit may have changed since you were there last, please read and follow the signs into / out of the building.
When entering the hall, please take up a place 2m away from the nearest person, as far away from the entrance door as possible, to allow others to enter without needing to pass you. Please don't gravitate towards the same familiar spot every week, but instead take up the first available place as i've described above, even if this means that you and your friend / partner have to stand in separate rows.
It is also a condition of attending classes that everybody keeps some tissues on their person so that ANY and EVERY cough can be firmly caught (the bare hand is not adequate according to NHS) Please wear something with pockets for your tissues as tissues tucked up sleeves tend to fall out during exercise and cause a hygiene issue when they fall on the floor. If your cough turns out to be more than a one-off incident please leave the building until it has stopped or leave the class early if it shows signs of continuing.
Please use the Hand Sanitizer provided as soon as you enter the hall. The dispenser is 'contactless' so please do not touch it. Just put your hand underneath and WAIT2 seconds until the gel has finished dispensing (otherwise it ends up on the floor causing a slip hazard) The material safety data info for the hand sanitizer is as follows:
Contains: Alcohol Denat 70%, Water, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Malaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Limolene. Keep away from eyes, if in eyes, rinse with water for several minutes, if irritation persists seek medical advice. Do not ingest. If ingested seek medical advice. More info at thego2brand.com
If, after you have attended any of our classes you have a test which proves positive for Covid-19 please let me know straight away and also give my phone number 07855 850427 to NHS Test and Trace and tell them which class venue and time you have attended. I will keep a record of everyone's attendance and you will be informed should anyone in a class you came to contract Covid-19.
The SHTC Risk Assessment and Covid Safe Action Plan together with this document and the PAR-Q participant medical questionnaire fulfil our Covid Safe operational procedure requirements. All students who book to restart must adhere to these documents.
They outline my responsibility to create a safe environment for your classes, and your responsibility to ensure you act in such a way as to maintain a safe environment for your classmates.
Failing to follow rules may result in a reminder being given and if it is necessary to remind again, then being asked to leave the class. We have all had a year to practice 2 metres, so we should be pretty good at it by now. ;)
Thanks for your time and kindness to the others,
Stay happy and healthy!
Regards, Cherry
art A: TRAVEL ABROAD
If you have returned from travelling abroad less than 14 days ago from today please check the list of High Risk Areas in the NHS link below. IF any place you travelled to OR travelled through* is listed DO NOT attend classes for 14 days following your return to UK, EVEN IF you are completely well. This is NOT an optional choice / decision for you to make, it is compulsory in respect of attendance at our classes, in order to provide the healthiest environment for everyone who attends. The NHS will tell you if you have to self-quarrantine, but it is our policy that you do not attend our classes for 14 days as we have a lot of people in the vulnerable sector of the population who come along.
If you are currently travelling abroad or plan to travel abroad at anytime in the future please check the link below on the day you return (as it is constantly updated) and apply the 14 day exclusion from class if the place you visited or travelled through* is on that list.
*TRAVELLING THROUGH a high risk area includes an airline 'transit' or 'layover' or changing planes/ boats / trains / coaches etc or remaining on a vehicle / plane which picks up passengers in a high risk area.
NHS LIST OF HIGH RISK AREAS - CLICK HERE TO CHECK
Part B: GENERALLY FEELING UNWELL / OFF COLOUR (Covid-19 related or not)
It has always been SHTC policy to ask people who have ANY symptoms of a cough or cold to stay away from class until 100% better, including any lingering cough after a cold. Unfortunately not everyone adheres to this but now, with the arrival of Coronavirus it is common sense to stay away if you are coughing etc and i have to reinforce this with everyone.
Many people who attend our classes have low immunity or resistance to infection because of drugs they are taking, making catching a virus very serious for them. Others or may be about to go in for a long awaited operation which then has to be cancelled because they picked up cold from class.
I know that many people are fed up with the hype around coronavirus, or believe they have a tough constitution and will carry on regardless if they have a temperature or a cough etc, But it simply isn't fair to pass your germs on to someone else as it could have devastating effect for them, particularly if your cough does turn out to be a flu / Covid -19.
Therefore if you have ANY symptoms of a cold-type illness, however mild or 'only feel a bit sweaty' or 'only have a tickly cough' or ''feel a bit under the weather' our policy is that you STAY AWAY from classes until 100% symptom free. Please don't come along and say 'i'm over my cold now, it's just got a lingering cough and i'm not infectious' (i hear this a lot) because you don't KNOW if you are infectious or not, unless you have had your sputum tested in a laboratory. A cough and feeling hot/ cold is one of the first signs of COVID-19.
To reiterate, Our policy is that you stay away from classes until fully symptom free.
I realise that for some people this will mean that you can't attend a class for which you have pre-paid, but what i feel is more important is that for the remainder of the time you will feel comfortable coming to class knowing that you have as 'virus free environment' as possible to learn in.
Other reasons for a cough:
Hay Fever season will soon be upon us and symptoms of hay fever are very similar to symptoms of viruses, but we cannot afford to assume that a cough or sneeze is hay fever related, it may be more. A person could have Hay Fever AND COVID-19! Sorry hay fever sufferers - if you are spluttering and snotty you have to stay away from class this year until you've got it under control with meds. Ask your pharmacist about starting your antihistamines NOW for best prevention of Hayfever.
Asthma etc: We have a few Asthma sufferers, and people who have 'ongoing coughs' due to diagnosed non-infectious medical conditions or medicattion they are taking. The NHS Advice for people who have pre-diagnosed non-infectious coughs is: If you notice a CHANGE in your cough frequency / type or have a temperature, then isolate yourself and seek medical advice.
For the purposes of attending classes, if you have a condition that causes you to cough, let me know now so I can make an exception for you. I would also ask that you (everybody!) keep a tissue on you so that ANY and EVERY cough can be caught (the bare hand is not adequate according to NHS)
Additionally, please take up a position in the class nearest to the door and if you get a coughing fit, leave the building until it has subsided for the peace of mind of the rest of the group. Bring / take whatever meds help your cough and a drink of water if that helps. I reiterate that this allowance is ONLY for people who have a pre-diagnosed ongoing non-infectious heath condition (such as asthma) which causes a cough who let me know in advance and not for people who have recently developed an unexplained cough.
Part C: CONTROLLING THE SPREAD
Hand washing is of the best ways to prevent spreading the virus through physical touch and venues have requested that people wash their hands for 20 seconds minimum (the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice) when entering the premises in case any germs are brought in from other things you have touched. One of our venues doesn't supply soap or hand towels, so i will bring these along in future. Arrive with time to wash your hands on arrival and after paying your fee
Now you can pay us by Contactless to prevent handling 'dirty' money
Handling cash is another way germs can be spread easily from person to person, so i have purchased a card reade which connects via my phone. I just have to work out how to use it, but i'm assured it's quick and easy! If you want to check it out, it's called SumUp and is very popular and secure. This means that you can now pay your class fees by contactless payment using any credit or debit card with contactless facility, or slip your card in the machine and enter your pin. There is no minimum spend or fee for you to use this facility. Please see me, rather than Pat if you want to pay by card. I don't have a printer so won't be able to issue a 'card machine' receipt but you can check the amount on the screen before paying, just as you would in any shop. I realise it is possible to send a receipt via email, but this will slow the process of taking payments down so I would rather avoid it if possible. If already paying monthly by bank transfer, please continue to use that method.
I would like to ask EVERYONE coming to class to keep some tissues handy on your person while you practice and if you feel a sneeze or cough coming on, grab that tissue, cover your nose and mouth fully and catch it. If you find yourself without a tissue then use your sleeve to cover your mouth and nose firmly is NHS advice! Your bare hand is not sufficient. If your cough or sneeze becomes more than a one off episode in class, please leave the class immediately and return when it has stopped. If it doesn't stop, please can you go home.
A couple of people have asked about wearing surgical face masks in class. I'm fine with this if you want to, provided your reason for wearing one is to prevent picking something up rather than not passing something on. If you have 'something' please don't attend.
Please be prepared, if you do come to a class with a cough, or cough without covering your face, for me to request that you leave the class until better. I know I won't exactly 'make friends' by doing this, but as we have been told countless times, the cough is the main method of distribution for the virus and can be deadly for some people. We wouldn't dream of coming to class with a knife or a gun, so please don't come to class with a cough and be ready to catch one if it arises unexpectedly.
In addition to providing the contactless payment facility, I am arriving at venues early to wipe down with dettol, frequently touched surfaces such as door handles and, where we have designated toilet facilities i am wiping the door handles / door locks/ taps with dettol too to make our class environments as virus free as i can. If you wash your hands when you arrive it will prevent the virus being spread within the venue.
------------------
Of course if you suspect that you have contracted Corona Virus or have the symptoms, follow the info provided by the Health Authorities: isolate yourself and call 111 to discuss with the experts at NHS.
I hope I haven't upset anyone by my directness, I have EVERYONE'S best interests at heart and missing a couple of your favourite Tai Chi / Qigong classes is a small price to pay compared to the guilt of knowing you have become a 'super spreader' and infected half the class and made your friends sick. If I develop any cold like symptoms you have my assurance that I will cancel classes if another teacher isn't available, so keep an eye on your emails, just in case.
Please DO NOT acknowledge or reply to this email unless you have a specific query not answered in the link or want to inform me of a non-infectious cough that you have which is the result of a medical condition / medication - please give details. I am sending this email to 300 people and you can imagine it will take a lot of time if you all reply!
Thanks for your time and understanding,
Stay happy and healthy!
Regards, Cherry
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the Town Council has asked groups such as ours who use the Memorial Hall to adhere to their Coronavirus policy. Having read their policy, which is largely the advice from NHS/ Public Health England, it seems sensible and reasonable and so I have adopted these practices and added a few class-specific points of my own below.
This now forms Surrey and Hants Tai Chi & Qigong's CURRENT Coronavirus and General Health Policy, which is implemented from today's date for your class and is not negotiable:
Part A: TRAVEL ABROAD
If you have returned from travelling abroad less than 14 days ago from today please check the list of High Risk Areas in the NHS link below. IF any place you travelled to OR travelled through* is listed DO NOT attend classes for 14 days following your return to UK, EVEN IF you are completely well. This is NOT an optional choice / decision for you to make, it is compulsory in respect of attendance at our classes, in order to provide the healthiest environment for everyone who attends. The NHS will tell you if you have to self-quarrantine, but it is our policy that you do not attend our classes for 14 days as we have a lot of people in the vulnerable sector of the population who come along.
If you are currently travelling abroad or plan to travel abroad at anytime in the future please check the link below on the day you return (as it is constantly updated) and apply the 14 day exclusion from class if the place you visited or travelled through* is on that list.
*TRAVELLING THROUGH a high risk area includes an airline 'transit' or 'layover' or changing planes/ boats / trains / coaches etc or remaining on a vehicle / plane which picks up passengers in a high risk area.
NHS LIST OF HIGH RISK AREAS - CLICK HERE TO CHECK
Part B: GENERALLY FEELING UNWELL / OFF COLOUR (Covid-19 related or not)
It has always been SHTC policy to ask people who have ANY symptoms of a cough or cold to stay away from class until 100% better, including any lingering cough after a cold. Unfortunately not everyone adheres to this but now, with the arrival of Coronavirus it is common sense to stay away if you are coughing etc and i have to reinforce this with everyone.
Many people who attend our classes have low immunity or resistance to infection because of drugs they are taking, making catching a virus very serious for them. Others or may be about to go in for a long awaited operation which then has to be cancelled because they picked up cold from class.
I know that many people are fed up with the hype around coronavirus, or believe they have a tough constitution and will carry on regardless if they have a temperature or a cough etc, But it simply isn't fair to pass your germs on to someone else as it could have devastating effect for them, particularly if your cough does turn out to be a flu / Covid -19.
Therefore if you have ANY symptoms of a cold-type illness, however mild or 'only feel a bit sweaty' or 'only have a tickly cough' or ''feel a bit under the weather' our policy is that you STAY AWAY from classes until 100% symptom free. Please don't come along and say 'i'm over my cold now, it's just got a lingering cough and i'm not infectious' (i hear this a lot) because you don't KNOW if you are infectious or not, unless you have had your sputum tested in a laboratory. A cough and feeling hot/ cold is one of the first signs of COVID-19.
To reiterate, Our policy is that you stay away from classes until fully symptom free.
I realise that for some people this will mean that you can't attend a class for which you have pre-paid, but what i feel is more important is that for the remainder of the time you will feel comfortable coming to class knowing that you have as 'virus free environment' as possible to learn in.
Other reasons for a cough:
Hay Fever season will soon be upon us and symptoms of hay fever are very similar to symptoms of viruses, but we cannot afford to assume that a cough or sneeze is hay fever related, it may be more. A person could have Hay Fever AND COVID-19! Sorry hay fever sufferers - if you are spluttering and snotty you have to stay away from class this year until you've got it under control with meds. Ask your pharmacist about starting your antihistamines NOW for best prevention of Hayfever.
Asthma etc: We have a few Asthma sufferers, and people who have 'ongoing coughs' due to diagnosed non-infectious medical conditions or medicattion they are taking. The NHS Advice for people who have pre-diagnosed non-infectious coughs is: If you notice a CHANGE in your cough frequency / type or have a temperature, then isolate yourself and seek medical advice.
For the purposes of attending classes, if you have a condition that causes you to cough, let me know now so I can make an exception for you. I would also ask that you (everybody!) keep a tissue on you so that ANY and EVERY cough can be caught (the bare hand is not adequate according to NHS)
Additionally, please take up a position in the class nearest to the door and if you get a coughing fit, leave the building until it has subsided for the peace of mind of the rest of the group. Bring / take whatever meds help your cough and a drink of water if that helps. I reiterate that this allowance is ONLY for people who have a pre-diagnosed ongoing non-infectious heath condition (such as asthma) which causes a cough who let me know in advance and not for people who have recently developed an unexplained cough.
Part C: CONTROLLING THE SPREAD
Hand washing is of the best ways to prevent spreading the virus through physical touch and venues have requested that people wash their hands for 20 seconds minimum (the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice) when entering the premises in case any germs are brought in from other things you have touched. One of our venues doesn't supply soap or hand towels, so i will bring these along in future. Arrive with time to wash your hands on arrival and after paying your fee
Now you can pay us by Contactless to prevent handling 'dirty' money
Handling cash is another way germs can be spread easily from person to person, so i have purchased a card reade which connects via my phone. I just have to work out how to use it, but i'm assured it's quick and easy! If you want to check it out, it's called SumUp and is very popular and secure. This means that you can now pay your class fees by contactless payment using any credit or debit card with contactless facility, or slip your card in the machine and enter your pin. There is no minimum spend or fee for you to use this facility. Please see me, rather than Pat if you want to pay by card. I don't have a printer so won't be able to issue a 'card machine' receipt but you can check the amount on the screen before paying, just as you would in any shop. I realise it is possible to send a receipt via email, but this will slow the process of taking payments down so I would rather avoid it if possible. If already paying monthly by bank transfer, please continue to use that method.
I would like to ask EVERYONE coming to class to keep some tissues handy on your person while you practice and if you feel a sneeze or cough coming on, grab that tissue, cover your nose and mouth fully and catch it. If you find yourself without a tissue then use your sleeve to cover your mouth and nose firmly is NHS advice! Your bare hand is not sufficient. If your cough or sneeze becomes more than a one off episode in class, please leave the class immediately and return when it has stopped. If it doesn't stop, please can you go home.
A couple of people have asked about wearing surgical face masks in class. I'm fine with this if you want to, provided your reason for wearing one is to prevent picking something up rather than not passing something on. If you have 'something' please don't attend.
Please be prepared, if you do come to a class with a cough, or cough without covering your face, for me to request that you leave the class until better. I know I won't exactly 'make friends' by doing this, but as we have been told countless times, the cough is the main method of distribution for the virus and can be deadly for some people. We wouldn't dream of coming to class with a knife or a gun, so please don't come to class with a cough and be ready to catch one if it arises unexpectedly.
In addition to providing the contactless payment facility, I am arriving at venues early to wipe down with dettol, frequently touched surfaces such as door handles and, where we have designated toilet facilities i am wiping the door handles / door locks/ taps with dettol too to make our class environments as virus free as i can. If you wash your hands when you arrive it will prevent the virus being spread within the venue.
------------------
Of course if you suspect that you have contracted Corona Virus or have the symptoms, follow the info provided by the Health Authorities: isolate yourself and call 111 to discuss with the experts at NHS.
I hope I haven't upset anyone by my directness, I have EVERYONE'S best interests at heart and missing a couple of your favourite Tai Chi / Qigong classes is a small price to pay compared to the guilt of knowing you have become a 'super spreader' and infected half the class and made your friends sick. If I develop any cold like symptoms you have my assurance that I will cancel classes if another teacher isn't available, so keep an eye on your emails, just in case.
Please DO NOT acknowledge or reply to this email unless you have a specific query not answered in the link or want to inform me of a non-infectious cough that you have which is the result of a medical condition / medication - please give details. I am sending this email to 300 people and you can imagine it will take a lot of time if you all reply!
Thanks for your time and understanding,
Stay happy and healthy!
Regards, Cherr