Since yesterday, October 26th, a general mask obligation applies in our studio. The reactions to it were different. The topic polarizes and accordingly, opinions differ. Here is a little derivation on our part.
Divorced minds & upside-down world
Corona separates the spirits – not only since yesterday, but more and more in the meantime. For what was irritating in the spring, but somehow also carried in the spirit of solidarity and cohesion, is meanwhile for many only a nerve. The situation has gone on for too long, the measures taken are too changeable and the statements and prognoses on the course of infection and disease are too varied and diverse.
Our responsibility to the community
Nevertheless: Covid-19 is here and the numbers are currently rising sharply again worldwide. So what to do? Far be it from us to have a fundamental discussion about Corona here, this is not our task. But what is our task and responsibility is to protect our students* and our team. It is important to us that our studio is and remains a safe place for our community.
With our measures since the reopening in June we can make our contribution to reduce the risk of infection:
Every student has her own pole cleaning cloth;
We still use ethanol to clean the poles;
We constantly ventilate the rooms;
We clean and disinfect the studio every evening;
For the yoga mats we use overlay cloths or after use ethanol for cleaning;
A hand disinfectant dispenser is available at the entrance;
In case of symptoms of illness, students are requested to stay away from class;
If desired, mocking will be waived;
Masks are compulsory in the entrance and checkroom area.
And now the general obligation to wear a mask during the lessons is added.
To dance or not to dance - this is the question
We are of course aware that on the one hand opinions differ on the necessity of this and the other measures and on the other hand the wearing of a mask is not one of our students‘ long-cherished wishes – we feel you!
At the same time, in addition to basic safety, it is also important to us to keep the studio open as long as possible despite the current situation. We want to avoid closing the studio again as much as we can.
Apart from that, the health of our trainers is also very important to us. Each of them has weekly contact with about 45 students, who in turn have contact with a varying number of people. Considering this, it quickly becomes clear that the effects of an infection would quickly add up in numbers. On the one hand, an infection of our trainers would mean that they themselves would have to go into quarantine and would be unable to work as trainers. Should this happen to more than one trainer, we would reach the limits of our capacity in terms of personnel. On the other hand, due to the contact tracing, students or whole or several classes would also have to be quarantined.
For us as a Pole Studio the question before this decision was: To dance or not to dance – and we clearly decided on „To dance“, even if this means doing it for a – hopefully short – time with a mask.
