There is still a legal requirement for our business to take reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus. We therefore require some rules to remain in place and some degree of physical distancing.
Explanation as to why we still need to enforce rules can be found in an excerpt from the Welsh Gov below;
"There is still a legal requirement for businesses, employers and other organisations to carry out a risk assessment and to take reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure to and spread of coronavirus.
There are a wide range of things that may need to be put in place to lower risks. These are set out in more detail in separate guidance.
You should be aware that these requirements are a legal duty, and you should follow any rules that are put in place by your employer or any businesses or other organisations you visit. This might include:
Physical distancing in the premises
Limiting numbers or group sizes
Providing contact details to support contact tracing
Providing table service
Limiting numbers of people at pinch-points, such as toilets
Use of face coverings, even in indoor premises not normally open to the public
You can find our risk assessment here.
For a full explanation and list of what we put in place to keep the children and parents who attend the studio safe at the outset in September please head to https://flamedancestudios.wixsite.com/website/post/returning-to-the-studio-children-s-classes
All information from the previous post applies unless stated otherwise in the following post.
Staff testing
All of our teachers/assistants have been fully vaccinated.
We will also be undertaking regular rapid lateral flow home tests and will be taking these on Sunday and Wednesday mornings.
Social Distancing
As a business we are required to;
ensure that other reasonable measures are taken to minimise risk of exposure to the virus, in particular by limiting close face to face interaction and by improving hygiene;
Floor markers will allow 2m between students side to side where face to face interaction is more of a risk and 1.5m between rows where people are front to back facing and so a mitigating factor.
Students will continue to spend most lesson time dancing on their spots and periods where they work off their spots in closer contact with other children will be limited.
Staff will wear masks and hand sanitise before spending any time closer than 2m from students and this time will be limited.
One Way System
The layout of the studio has changed slightly since the children last attended. However we will still be operating a one way system with the entrance being through the big double doors and exit through the red door. Any queuing for class will be on the left side of the car park (closest to Boomerang). Students will enter through the main reception (the black framed glass doors) and be directed to their studio. Once class is finished students will leave through the small reception (solid red door) where we will release them to you on the right side of the car park. (Them procedure may differ for weekday classes).
See diagram below.
Drop off and pick up procedure
Weekday and Weekend lessons will follow different guidance due to the nature of traffic and numbers of dancers at the studio.
We will continually review these measures and change anything that we think will lead to a smoother process.
Weekend
We would kindly ask that all cars park outside of the car park on the street. This way we can keep the car park empty, spacious and safe for queuing. There is ample street parking outside the car park on the weekend on both the near and opposite side of the road so I hope that this won't inconvenience anyone.
Weekday
Due to the car park being in use by others and fewer numbers in the studio overall you are welcome to park as normal for weekday classes, either in the car park or on the street. We would still ask for drop off and pick up to be conducted in the same manner.
Dropping off:
We would ask everyone to stay in their car until as close to the lesson start time as possible.
Any queuing will then be done on the left side of the car park (nearest all the other units) keeping your distance from the other parents.
We would hope queuing would be kept to a minimum if you stay in your cars as long as possible before the class start time as we can welcome the students straight in to the studio.
We would then ask for the children to be dropped off at the front entrance so adults needn’t queue inside. (Thursday Ballet students will use the red door to enter and leave)
Picking up:
We will start letting the children out 5 minutes before the usual end time of the lesson to aid the cleaning and social distance measures.
Your child will be bought out to you.
Face Coverings
As all of our children are 10 years old or younger there is no requirement for them to bring a face covering to the lessons. The teachers/assistants will be wearing masks while not dancing. (See guidance below).
Organisers should be mindful of the need for those over 11 to wear face coverings when indoors unless a person has an exemption from doing so. Face coverings are not recommended during sporting activities, games etc. where physical exertion is likely.
The World Health Organisation advises against wearing a face covering when exercising as sweat can make a face covering become wet more quickly, making it difficult to breathe and promoting the growth of microorganisms.
Test, Trace, Protect
You do not need to complete Test, Trace and Protect when you arrive at the studio as only the children are allowed to enter the building. We keep our class list updated with the students attendance and contact details and therefore will pass these details on to Test, Trace, Protect if the situation arises.
Pre-attendance official symptom check
All customers, students and visitors must undergo a self-assessment for any COVID-19 symptoms before arriving at the studio. This means that you just need to consider whether you or any member of your household have any of the coronavirus symptoms listed below and if so, should not attend the lesson.
Symptoms include;
a high temperature:Â this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough:Â this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste:Â this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
No-one should leave home to participate in a class if they, or someone they live with, is symptomatic - or suspects they may have been exposed to the virus. They should immediately self-isolate (as well as their household and extended household), follow the Welsh Government’s self-isolation guidelines, and apply for a Coronavirus test.
I need to ensure, upon arrival, that students have completed a self-assessment for COVID-19 symptoms. Entry can be refused to anyone who is unable to provide assurance that they have done so and that to the best of their knowledge it is safe for them to take part. Anyone refused entry on this basis will be instructed to immediately self-isolate and to follow the steps set out above.