Montpelier is masks required but vax NOT required. We've had no documented spread. (A single case or two after one dance, but no more.) We let callers choose whether or not to be unmasked, and we know some musicians will need to be unmasked (ie wind players). We don't require testing for unmasked talent, but it's an interesting idea! We're always taking a look at our policies and reassessing, given the ever evolving nature of this pandemic.

Dana

On Wed, Dec 21, 2022, 11:45 PM Martin Lodahl via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

You can also add the Sacramento Country Dance Society.  We have an exception rule for wind players and such that requires an observed test immediately before entering the hall specifically on the principle that if the viral load is beneath the test threshold, the three hours of the dance will probably pass before their contagiousness ripens fully.  That leaves us, of course, vulnerable to the risk of losing s crucial performer (like the caller) too late to find a replacement.

Martin

On 12/21/22 20:34, Winston, Alan P. via Organizers wrote:
I think you can add all the BACDS camps and dances in the SF Bay Area to the vax(and boosted)+mask = no spread so far list.

(We bump up to also requiring tests within six hours of the start of the dance if CDC level is read.)

-- Alsn

________________________________________
From: Julian Blechner via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2022 7:47 PM
To: Joe Harrington
Cc: A list for dance organizers
Subject: [Organizers] Re: Performer "Testing to Unmask" Policy Timing

Dances with vax+mask policy I know offhand with no reported spreads, despite a culture of "please test if you feel ill, please tell us, and we will tell dancers":

Greenfield, MA
BIDA, MA
Concord, MA
Downtown Amherst Contra, MA
Rainbow Contra in Western Mass
Pioneer Valley's ECD
Montpelier, VT (I believe?)
Glen Echo, MD
Pinewoods camp weeks that had this policy, at least masking and testing for 3 days
Albany Contra, NY (I am pretty sure)
Portland, ME's new series

Unsure about CDNY, but I am pretty sure too.

-Julian

On Wed, Dec 21, 2022, 10:17 PM Joe Harrington via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
I know we all hate them, but some dances are still requiring masks.  Has there been documented spread at a dance where everyone is in a (K)N95 or better, like a Breeze 99?  How about vax+mask or vax+test+mask?  I think we all know that vax+test-mask=spread, from numerous events this past summer and since.

I'd also be interested in a professional opinion on whether our gyrations mean anything if we're not also masking full time when we're out and about.  I know the theory, dance is more breathing and close up for a long time, but the new variants are so infectious that I wonder if that matters.  If you're getting 10x the infectious dose in the grocery store, protection during a dance wouldn't matter much.  It's like locking the doors and leaving all the windows open.  But, maybe it's 0.1x the infectious dose at the grocery, and our measures do matter.  I'm only interested in data, not speculation.  Does anyone have any?

--jh--


On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 4:37 PM Heitzso via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
My wife got covid at Roanoke Railroader last summer and I got it from her.
I researched then (so relevant to variants then, not necessarily current variants)
and most transmission occurs 1 to 2 days before testing to 2 to 3 days after testing.
I don't know if that is relevant to this discussion because ...
I assume most people test when they start to feel different from normal health ...
which might explain the "1 to 2 days before testing" transmission
and that's different from a "test regardless of how you feel to dance" testing policy.
But, I do not know that. That just happens to be the data.

Turkey Quicky, a mini-weekend, fortunately escaped covid spread though
someone tested positive Saturday morning after dancing Friday night.
(most dancers were unmasked)
A KY weekend dance before TQ had a roughly 20% covid
spread with a recent negative test and a negative test on entry policy.

I'm not saying what policy should or should not be enacted to
prevent the spread of covid. I'm just noting one official statistic
and two recent weekend dances data points.

-Heitzso
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