Returning to the dance studio safely (covid-19)

Terpsichorean Clod said:
I'm in favor of wearing gloves. ;)
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After some thought, I remembered I have both white and black dressy gloves. They don't look terrible. I guess they would serve the purpose.

I can't get around making a homemade mask look better, even with an elegant scarf. I've tried. And I haven't found any surgical or non-surgical masks in stores (not that I've been to that many).
 
I'm not a fan of wearing gloves. I wore them out grocery shopping last weekend, and they were a pain.
 
Purr said:
I'm not a fan of wearing gloves. I wore them out grocery shopping last weekend, and they were a pain.
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I did too...and a mask. The mask made my glasses fog up so badly I had to take the glasses off...but first had to remove my gloves, then put them back on. And I had to take off one glove to check my phone when DH texted me, then put it back on. And I had to take off both gloves to get my debit card out of my wallet to pay, then put them back on. These were moderately loose nitrile gloves that I already owned (used for caring for sick kittens that I regularly foster from the local humane society [which has also been closed to the public for weeks, btw]), so that’s why I was able to put them on and off repeatedly. Had I been wearing tight fitting gloves, that would have been a big problem.

But idk a good alternative...?
 
Masks can make glasses fog, but they shouldn't if the mask fits over your nose properly. It may take some experimentation to get the right fit. Practice at home with a clean mask when you're not worrying about any exposure to anything. You may need to add a twist tie or other bendable item to the nose area of the mask for better fit. Of course, if you see well enough, going without the glasses is an easy fix, too.

And PNP, that's a great example of why gloves aren't really helpful, unfortunately. Gloves are not particularly helpful in the dance studio or grocery store. They can actually spread more germs if not used really thoughtfully (you can do a google search for more info if you want details).

Gloves are most useful for really dirty jobs (e.g. cleaning up after an overflowed toilet or washing out a litter box) to keep the major mess off your hands. And then once the gloves are removed, the hands should be washed afterwards, anyway.

The important thing is hand hygiene, not glove wearing. This virus isn't going to enter your body through the skin on your hands. So, for hands, it's really about washing hands after touching anything potentially contaminated, and before touching your face. And disinfecting other surfaces you touched with dirty hands (like your cell phone, wallet, debit card, steering wheel, etc). For grocery shopping, some pre-planning can help, too. Things like avoiding answering the phone in the store. Having your debit card in a pocket so you don't have to open your wallet at all in the store, etc. No touch payment is another option, but then you're handling your phone in the store ...
 
I can see that about the gloves. I wash my hands, with soap, frequently. And it's no problem adding hand sanitizer to the mix. I had several purse sized bottles before the health crisis began. And I was fortunate enough to score a slightly bigger bottle at the drug store last week. They had two bottles left, but I only bought one. There was no need to be greedy.
 
ProgressNotPerfection said:
I did too...and a mask.
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What kind of mask did you wear? Is it something you bought or made yourself?

I haven't been able to buy any, not that I've been to a lot of stores. I made 4, using a video I saw on FB as inspiration. They were pretty straightforward to make. For 2, I used a white cotton handkerchiefs; for 1 I used what I now think is a white patterned dinner napkin (I thought it might have been a fancy scarf or possibly a doily); and for the last I used an aqua and white patterned Land's End cotton ladies square scarf. I ironed them into place, used women's elastic hair bands for the loops, and secured the scarf ends with safety pins. It's not too bad for a homemade job.
 
Purr said:
What kind of mask did you wear? Is it something you bought or made yourself?
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We had an old box of them tucked away in a cabinet in the laundry room, from waaaaaay back when the kids were little & we didn’t want them sharing too many germs with each other when one of them was really sick. DH came across them by accident. The expiration date on the box is 2011, which suggests that the masks’ effectiveness at protecting the wearer is gone. But they’re still good for protecting the general public FROM the wearer.
 
Yes, I found 3 masks in my garage. They're something like you'd use for a home repair job. I'm sure all they're good for is protecting the public from me, if/when I wear them out.

As supplies become available, I'm going to buy a box of masks and gloves in case this comes back again. I'm sure it will be awhile before that happens, and even when I find them I'm not going to hoard them. And I'll make sure I always have cleaning wipes and disinfectant.

At least it's getting easier to find toilet paper.
 
ProgressNotPerfection said:
The expiration date on the box is 2011, which suggests that the masks’ effectiveness at protecting the wearer is gone.
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Actually, on products like that, the expiration date is primarily so that the manufacturers don't have to deal with supporting old stock. I'm sure they're still exactly as effective as the day they were made (which is to say, mostly at protecting others from the wearer).

BTW, Pennsylvania's top health official just issued new rules going into effect on Sunday that businesses must not only provide/require facial coverings for their employees, but must also require them of customers (something which should have been done when social distancing started). Unfortunately, there's a huge exception in the latter for going to purchase food and medical supplies -- aren't those precisely where we most want people to wear masks? Also, max occupancy reduced to 50% of fire code limit.
 
ralf said:
Also, max occupancy reduced to 50% of fire code limit.
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This is what I think is going to happen when dance studios reopen, and parties resume. The number of participants will be limited. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how studios decide who can attend the parties. Who has the priority? Active students (i.e. those taking lessons)? Or first come, first serve? Somewhere in between, not taking lessons but regular attendees of group classes and parties? Studios might have to go to invitation only for parties just to keep the numbers down; some kind of RSVP system. For example, if the total has to be 50 or fewer, and there's 7 staff members, that 43 or fewer guests. That's not a lot, especially for a dance community that's (probably) eager to get back to dancing. And that also begs the question, do single students get a plus one? I can think of single ladies who bring a partner to an event just to have someone to dance with.
 
I don't think any of the ballroom studios I've ever been to has come anywhere close to the fire code limit, so I'd be surprised if a limitation to half of that would be a problem.
 
Purr said:
This is what I think is going to happen when dance studios reopen, and parties resume. The number of participants will be limited. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how studios decide who can attend the parties. Who has the priority? Active students (i.e. those taking lessons)? Or first come, first serve? Somewhere in between, not taking lessons but regular attendees of group classes and parties? Studios might have to go to invitation only for parties just to keep the numbers down; some kind of RSVP system. For example, if the total has to be 50 or fewer, and there's 7 staff members, that 43 or fewer guests. That's not a lot, especially for a dance community that's (probably) eager to get back to dancing. And that also begs the question, do single students get a plus one? I can think of single ladies who bring a partner to an event just to have someone to dance with.
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Entry restricted to those possessing valid dancer's licenses
-Points accumulated for moving violations like failure to overtake at a safe social distance
-Suspension if points over a period exceed a certain amount; revocation in extreme cases like collision
-Non-moving violations include not wearing personal protective equipment, failed emissions test (e.g., coughing without proper usage of elbow)
 
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