Hello Students,
If you have followed the news lately, you have no doubt heard that as of 6/18, Walworth County officially moved into Phase Four of it’s COVID-19 reopening guidance.
This raises the question: What are our plans here at the Elkhorn Martial Arts Center?
Simply put, our goal through this entire ordeal has been to keep everyone who walks through our doors safe. That meant erring on the side of caution when it came to masks.
So far, no cases have been traced back to us–a fact that we have all of you to thank. Your perseverance and willingness to look out for your fellow students has been a key part of keeping us all safe.
What is the plan?
Now, Walworth County moving into Phase Four, and we are adopting the following policy regarding masks:
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- Vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks.
- Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear masks.
- All students should maintain respectful social distance and good hygiene! Not everyone can get vaccinated yet, and others may be more susceptible due to underlying medical issues.
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Questions:
Will you require me to get vaccinated?
No.
While we strongly encourage all of our students to be vaccinated, we also recognize that this is a personal choice. It is our view that the benefits outweigh the risks, but the ultimate decision lies with each of you.
What if I still want to wear a mask?
If you still wish to wear a mask in class, you are free to do so. Please remember to take appropriate breaks to stay hydrated or catch your breath. As temperatures rise, we want everyone to stay safe while working out.
What about the variants?
US Public health officials have voiced concern around the variant current present in India–the so-called Delta Variant. This variant appears to spread even more rapidly and cause a more severe illness. According to experts, it is not a question of “if”, but “when” this variant arrives in the US.
Our hope is that vaccination rates, hand washing, and social distance keep this variant far away from our students.
What if…?
The pandemic is a global phenomenon with many factors beyond our control. The plan will continue to be we are going to follow public health officials. If officials tell us we need to wear masks, or that we need to move back to Phase 3, we will do so.
Hopefully, it does not come to that.
Is everything going away?
No.
The pandemic highlighted a few good habits we plan to keep. Where appropriate, we’ll continue those changes even after the pandemic is over. Examples of things we plan to keep:
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- Sanitize your hands before and after working with a partner.
- Continue to run the air sanitizers that we had installed – they work against cold and flu as well as covid.
- Line up on the dots at the beginning and end of each class
- Broadcasting classes on Zoom
- Asking that you attend via Zoom if you are feeling sick or showing cold/flu symptoms.
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What will be changing
We will bring back some of the things that we have not been able to do for quite some time! Some examples include:
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- Phasing Kihaps back in to forms and once steps
- Increased Judo instruction
- More work on Hold-downs and ground work
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In closing
One of the constants throughout our many years of teaching martial has been self defense, and not just against an attacker on the street. Thank you all for helping us make it this far. While things are looking up, we aren’t totally out of the woods yet. With a little bit of luck, and continued diligence, we will return to normal soon.
Categories: Martial Arts