Tango in times of pandemic

[JohnEm]

Just chanced upon a couple of recent milongas in BsAs on YouTube. One outside, but sparse, and a few dancers wearing a mask; one inside, again sparse, but more dancers wearing a mask (some not well). Very different situation, and an unrepresentative sample, but still interesting.

This is pre-pandemic and very typical.
There's always one of more though - see at 45 seconds onwards.

This is the Buenos Aires solution to social dancing,
dancers breathe past each other and the woman
is able to act as rearview lookout. Similar does happen
in social ballroom although the form is different.

But it just takes one. I can wait a few weeks until we know the impact of Omicron.

Agreed it takes just one but unfortunately now you can expect more.
And the offender can just be careless, thinking they have never been
infected, but now unknowingly infected, skipping the actual test
in haste or ignorance but reporting negative anyway. Stringent
precautions, testing on entrance for instance (I know, not logistically
possible really) verifying Covid Vaccine passes by scanning etc., etc.

 

[TTanguero]

I definitely don't recommend catching it, but seems there could be a silver lining:

Breakthrough Infections May Lead to 'Super Immunity' From COVID: Study

"Once you're vaccinated and then exposed to the virus, you're probably going to be reasonably well-protected from future variants," an author of the study said.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Rabbit]

I definitely don't recommend catching it, but seems there could be a silver lining:

Virologists were predicting this thing evolves into another strain of common cold eventually, early research seems to be suggesting Omicron is a step in that direction.

I'm ok with going back to 1:1 dancing for a while if necessary.

Hope you're feeling better anyway!

 

[ArbeeNYC]

I was taking tests before dancing, so about three times a week. But then I went to a tango festival last weekend, and although their precautions were very good*, it did seem sensible to take daily tests for the following week. On Thursday, the organiser notified us that two participants had tested positive, and on Friday I did too.

Oh, sorry to hear that. I got tested back in September, October, once a month, with a PCR test. Not since then though. (The home kit rapid tests here are expensive. Too expensive to use on a regular basis for most folks.) If a milonga requires it, I would do it, but none have and everything has been cancelled anyway until after the holidays (most everything, but the others are being very cautious and things may change between now and Jan. 1). Get well soon.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

verifying Covid Vaccine passes by scanning etc., etc.

This part is not difficult. Testing before each milonga though is unlikely to happen here given the cost of the rapid tests.

 

[TTanguero]

The home kit rapid tests here are expensive

Fortunately we have the NHS, and the lateral-flow tests are available free of charge.

 

[David_In_CA]

Stringent
precautions, testing on entrance for instance (I know, not logistically
possible really)

Apparently they did this for a WCS event in Berlin:

It probably wouldn't work for just an evening, though.

 

[Brummbaer]

This part is not difficult. Testing before each milonga though is unlikely to happen here given the cost of the rapid tests.

As has already pointed out, LFT tests are free in the UK. Pick them up in the pharmacy, at some street stall, order via internet. [UK] Vaccine certificates are readily scanned using the free checking app. The only issue is whether you and the certificate go together since ID is an issue in the UK. Risk would be pretty low given it's probably your phone or if you're known. Even for European countries with ID I've read of people with falsified vaccine passes - usually when arrested and at least fined (also for infecting others leading to deaths).

As has already been noted, LFT results are not verified, nor verifiable. It's down to trust. That's partly why it works to test the positive. If you're positive then you're more likely to act to verify that with a (free) PCR test. For negatives, a majority probably are trustworthy, but some aren't, so it's about the overall risk.

There's also a time interval issue. There was a case recently of a pilot on a long-haul flight. Tested negative before but positive on arrival. Got to think about the duration of the event and frequency of testing.

Overall though we've got to consider the impact of infection, and the consequences on ourselves and others.

 

[Brummbaer]

Apparently they did this for a WCS event in Berlin

That may have been a legal requirement, or at least a pending legal requirement at that time, in that State for 2G, 2G+, or 3G ('G' = vaccinated, recovered, tested) so no other option.

 

[David_In_CA]

That may have been a legal requirement, or at least a pending legal requirement at that time, in that State for 2G, 2G+, or 3G ('G' = vaccinated, recovered, tested) so no other option.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. Still, it seems like daily verified testing was workable for a convention-style event.

 

[raindance]

It's great that free self tests are available like that in the UK and parts of Europe.

In the US, they are about $25 for a kit with two tests, and they aren't always in stock. Insurance is supposed to start reimbursing for the home tests in the US starting next month, but I'm not sure how that's going to work, or how many they will allow per month, etc.

It would be lovely to have everyone able to self test before every gathering routinely, whether it's a dance event or a home birthday party with a few people or whatever. It's not perfect, but if it catches a bunch of the positives over time, and they stay home, that's a big help at least for those particular gathering.

 

[JournalInTime]

Free rapid tests went into distribution here (Québec) today. Not enough of them – the supply chain needs work. At any rate, it won't affect dance, because dance is closed completely at this time. Nor will it affect me, because while I was being all cautious about catching a coronavirus, I managed to snag a norovirus off a food delivery . . . I wouldn't be dancing anyway.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

As has already pointed out, LFT tests are free in the UK

Yes, but not in the USA, where you have to buy them ($24 for a pack of two Binax kits) or go to a mobile testing site (if your city or community has them) and wait. At present, the rapid testing kits are sold out of many pharmacies and the mobile sites have very long wait times.

 

[Tango Newbie]

While many classes and milongas have been cancelled around the US and abroad, our home studio here in CA has remained open, albeit with vaccinations required, and masks relatively unenforced, they finally cancelled classes and milongas for the next 2 weeks (mid Jan 2022 - ene of Jan 2022).
So, with everything on hold, this means I can focus on other things including golf, cycling, getting my RV ready for trips, doing spring cleaning, etc., and more importantly spending more time with my girlfriend doing non-tango things.