COVID - 19 MASK POLICY

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Thank you for doing your part for slowing the spread and protecting our community

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Mask Policy

 

About masks and requirements for in-person class attendance.  As you may have already surmised, we are two people who take this virus very seriously.  Please take some time to read below about masks, the studio's guidelines for them, which types are best, protocols for wearing them properly, etc.  There are a few things in here that we didn't know, like the flow and glow test for the quality and effectiveness of your mask. 

 

Mask protocols:

• Masks are worn consistently (meaning they are not to be removed while in the studio/building for any length of time).

 

• Worn appropriately.  A mask that is frequently pulled down to breathe or talk, or is worn under the nose, is not effective.

 

• The mask conforms to your face without gaps — it is important that most of the air you breathe in and out flows through the mask rather than around the mask through gaps at the sides, top or bottom.  More on this below.

 

• N95 mas is required

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• It stays in place during talking and moving, so it can be worn without slipping and so it does not require you to touch it frequently.

 

• The mask is comfortable enough to wear without adjusting it for the amount of time you need to keep it on.

 

• Only handle the mask by its strings or loops, not the face covering itself.  If you need to keep adjusting it, it is not a properly fitting mask for you. 

 

**The mask needs to form a firm, solid seal around the whole perimeter, including around the nose, the sides of the face/cheeks, and under the chin.  Poorly fitting masks, cloth masks, disposable medical procedure masks all tend to leave gaps around the face and nose.  Gaps may allow respiratory droplets containing the virus to leak in and out around the mask. Depending on how they fit and how they are made, cloth masks vary in how well they can protect you and others from getting and spreading COVID-19.

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Should I be double masking?

In situations where you need to wear a mask, double masking is still a good idea. A lab study published in MMWR observed masked and unmasked dummies that released aerosol particles from a mouthpiece when they were simulated to cough or breathe. The study found that wearing a multilayered cloth mask over a surgical mask or wearing a tightly fitted surgical mask substantially increased the level of protection for both the mask wearer and others.

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A CDC study published in February found that wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure/surgical mask as well as modifying a surgical mask by knotting its ear loops, reduced a healthy person's risk of catching coronavirus by more than 95%.

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When double masking, the CDC recommends wearing a snug cloth mask over a medical procedure/surgical mask. Surgical masks provide better filtration, but tend to fit loosely. 

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Adjusting a medical procedure/surgical mask for a tighter fit using a method called "knotting and tucking" also offers good protection. To knot and tuck a surgical mask, knot the ear loops of a 3-ply face mask where they join the edge of the mask, then fold and tuck the unneeded material under the edges. For video instructions on how to knot and tuck a surgical mask, click here. Mask fitters, or mask braces, which are worn over a cloth or surgical mask, can also improve mask fit.

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Thank you for reading and for abiding by these guidelines.  Let's all please make coming back into our small, intimate space as safe as possible, as well as not contribute to the continuation of this pandemic.  These are guidelines for when in the studio, though please, let's apply them elsewhere as well. 

Thank you.  M&G

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