Hi Everyone,

Seth suggested a 2-day cooling off period before any new posts on this topic. A good idea. I am traveling in Australia right now, and between the 200 different time zones, the switch to standard time from daylight savings time, and the international date line, it’s taken me about 2 days to figure out the 2-day lag. In any case, hoping enough time has passed, I'd like to add some thoughts about this issue that may be helpful for those who have the difficult responsibilities of trying to make decisions about their dances.

If we are considering ending or changing the covid rules for our dances, there are some basic things that can underlie our decisions:

* Covid is a respiratory disease. It invades the body through mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, and sometimes the eyes.
* The virus spreads primarily through droplets and aerosols expelled through the mouth and nose. But virus particles can be easily diluted and dispersed by wind, including good air movement.
* Contra dancing is an activity where people breathe on each other, interacting with many people in a short period of time, over and over again. Sometimes breathing hard. Nearly always indoors.
* CDC guidelines are not based on contra dancing. Even in medical facilities, patients, doctors, and nurses do not swing each other, breathe into each others' faces, and change partners every 35 seconds (at least I hope not). Guidelines for medical facilities are not directly relevant to contra dances.
* The current variants of this coronavirus are much more transmissible than the earlier variants. Meaning that data from the pre-delta/pre-omicron period may be misleading and not properly relevant to today's circumstances.
* Vaccinated people can indeed get infected and sick with covid, but in general their transmissible phase (when they can infect others) is a day or so shorter and usually contains lower levels of the virus, compared to unvaccinated people.
* The current covid statistics from the CDC and other agencies have some serious problems. While the reported rates of deaths and hospitalizations are probably accurate, the reported rates of infection (derived from testing) are systematically biased low because so many people now test at home without officially reporting the results.

So, after three years of not dancing together and/or complying with covid restrictions of requiring vaccinations, wearing masks, etc -- well, here are my thoughts --

* Masks are still critical in contra dances. The general infection rate is higher than officially reported. Especially important for people vulnerable to being infected. (This is in the U.S. Other countries with higher vaccination rates may have much lower infection rates.). The protection with masks goes both ways.

* Vaccinations -- not so much, especially if people wear good masks (N95 or equivalent) and the mask requirement is enforced. Also, people who have been sick recently with covid are well-protected from having a transmissible virus load. (The operative word here is "recently". But the practical question is the definition of “recently”.)

* Air movement in the room -- this item has not been emphasized enough, although it's extremely important. And it’s something that dance groups can directly improve at their dances. Open windows, multiple fans, etc. Also, dance organizers can easily monitor air movement with a carbon dioxide sensor (portable sensors are available for less than $100). Place one in a room and see what happens during the dance evening. CO2 is heavier than air. People breathe out CO2. Therefore, CO2 levels in a room can be a proxy for the risk of covid transmission because CO2 levels reflect the amount of air movement. Atmospheric CO2 levels are around 413 ppm. If the air doesn't move much, CO2 levels will quickly rise during a dance evening, sometimes to more than 1,000 ppm. If the CO2 level can be maintained below 600 ppm, this probably indicates that air is circulating relatively efficiently, which reduces the risk of viral particle buildup. Keeping the CO2 level near 413 ppm is even better. (It’s a well-known fact, for example, that exhaled coronaviruses are not very transmissible in a 40-mph prevailing wind.)

* Mandatory reporting – need to know if any dancers experience covid symptoms or test positive soon after a dance event. Collecting this information is awkward and cumbersome, probably pie-in-the-sky, but it would be a good statistic. And provide assurance to everyone, especially over time.

Long and complex, but just my two cents.
Woody

Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer, Event Organizer
Roseburg, OR
_______________________________________________

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Sieverts via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Friday, April 7, 2023 11:34 PM
To: A list for dance organizers <organizers@sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Organizers] Is it time to change our mask mandates?

Hello fellow organizers,

I have been a big proponent of our dance mask mandates and feel we have prevented quite a bit of COVID spread by requiring good facemasks.

However, our local hospital has announced that after 3 years of a mask mandate for everyone entering their building (it’s both a hospital and a medical center), they are lifting the mandate on April 10 for anyone asymptomatic and who hasn’t had a recent COVID contact.

Our board will be discussing this soon but I am very curious about what other organizers think. Is it time? And what should be our criteria for lifting our mandates?

Best,
Lisa
Monadnock Folklore Society
Nelson, NH

Lisa Sieverts
603-762-0235
lisa@lisasieverts.com
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