CYT Summer 2020 Health and Safety Protocols

 
COVID-19 Minimum Standard Health Protocols Statement:
The virus that causes COVID-19 can infect people of all ages. While the risk of serious illness or loss of life is greatest in those 65 years of age and older, persons in every age group can get COVID-19 and some will have a severe illness. We should all be thankful that, with rare exceptions, COVID-19 is not claiming the lives of our children. However, we can never forget that a child with a mild or even asymptomatic case of COVID-19 can spread that infection to others who may be far more vulnerable.
 
COVID-19 is spread from person to person through contact that is close enough to share droplets generated by coughing, sneezing, speaking and even just breathing. COVID-19 can also be spread by touching objects where contaminated droplets have landed. We have learned that infected persons with mild or even no symptoms can spread COVID-19
 
For adults in the workplace or other public spaces, we are confident that if certain measures such as cloth face coverings or nonmedical grade masks, respiratory etiquette, frequent hand washing / hand sanitation and environmental cleaning and sanitizing are widely observed, we can then proceed with reopening in a safe and measured way. However, some of the protective measures that we can expect from adults, such as wearing cloth face coverings and maintaining distance from one another, are, for a variety of reasons, simply not possible for infants, children and youth to practice in schools, daycares and youth camps.
 
All of these factors mean that while certain precautions against the spread of COVID-19 can and will be applied to schools, daycares and youth camps, the infection control measures that can be put in place in these settings will differ somewhat from those that are suitable for other social, business and commercial settings.
 
Parents or guardians should monitor the health of their child and not send them to the program if they are displaying any symptom of COVID. Parents or guardians should seek COVID testing promptly and report results to the program given the implications for other children, families, and staff.
 
Please read the following Protocols carefully. They are in place for the health and well-being of every CYT family and friend.
 
Protocols for ALL CYT ACTIVITIES include, but are not limited to:
General Protocols:
  • Daily health screenings, including temperature checks, of all students, staff and volunteers
  • Educating and enforcing hand and respiratory hygiene including proper sneezing/coughing etiquette, keeping hands away from faces, and avoidance of holding hands in prayer circles, etc.
  • Scheduled hand washing and restroom breaks frequently throughout the day
  • Frequent sanitation of our facilities
  • Disinfect items such as props or camp materials that must be shared often. We will limit sharing of items as much as possible.
  • Food: All campers/cast members will bring their own lunch and snack (keep in mind we are a Nut-Free Zone) There will be no sharing of food or community food offered at CYT. **Individually wrapped snacks may still be sold at the camp store.
  • Incorporate Social distancing between groups at the camp/rehearsal facility as much as possible. Discourage physical contact, including hugs, between CYT students and/or adults.
    • *By nature of the live theater art form, Summer Stock and full productions may not be socially distant within the rehearsal and performance setting when it comes to blocking and choreography. However, we will keep each show cast, or Day Camp team, as its own group (“cohort” per American Camp Association standards) and avoid blending one cast with another even if they are in the same facility.
 
Arrival/Departure Procedures:
There will be a Daily Health Screening of campers/cast members, staff, volunteers, and ANYONE entering the building upon arrival. This screening will include a temperature check and questions about your general well-being and health status, and it will occur outside the building.
 
Health Screening Questions include:
1.Have you been fever-free without the use of fever reducing medications for the last 72 hours?
2.Have you had any unusual respiratory distress including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, or chills in the past 72 hours?
3.Have you been in physical contact with anyone with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
 
Please read emails for details about each event to know which entrance to use and for traffic flow patterns. There will also be signage at the facility upon arrival.
 
If your child will be transported by someone else, please be sure that you have given them the answers to the health protocol questions so that they are able to provide them at check-in. If your child is driving themselves, be sure that they can also answer these questions accurately.
 
Adults who are not on staff or specifically assigned to volunteer must remain outside the building for the duration of camp and/or rehearsals. This is so that we can limit the amount of people in the building to adhere to the occupancy standards allotted, and so that we limit exposure as much as possible. Please help us be abiding by this policy. Doors will remain locked during our rehearsals/camps to assure that only those who have been screened are permitted inside.
 
Per CYT standard operating procedure, students 12 and older may sign out and leave the building IF the parents have submitted permission, in writing, for them to leave to drive their car or meet parents in the parking lot.
 
For parents who need to sign their children out, there will be an outdoor dismissal procedure during which parents remain in their cars. More specific details about this procedure will be sent to you prior to the beginning of your camp or rehearsal process. Please remain considerate of social distancing standards during arrival and departure times.
 
Healthy Hand Hygiene:
All children, staff, and volunteers should engage in hand hygiene at the following times:
  • Arrival to the facility and after breaks
  • Before and after preparing and eating food or drinks
  • Before and after administering medication or medical ointment
  • After using the bathroom
  • After coming in contact with bodily fluid
  • After playing outdoors or in sand
  • After handling garbage
 
Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If hands are not visibly dirty, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol can be used if soap and water are not readily available.
 
Supervise children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent ingestion.
 
Staff should assist young children in camps with hand washing, then wash their own hands.
 
Masks:
Campers/Cast members may choose to wear a mask, but it will not be required per American Camp Association guidelines regarding the inadvisability of doing physical activity while wearing a mask.
 
We encourage adults to wear masks when in smaller rooms or when working on committees where social distancing is not possible.
 
You must wear a mask if you are serving in a capacity where you are in close proximity to our cast members or students (for example: measurement of costumes, hair and makeup, etc.). If you have your own reusable mask, we would ask that you please bring it to the rehearsals with you. We will have a limited supply of disposable masks available.
 
If a CYT student becomes sick:
Please assess your child’s health each day as much as possible. If your child is sick, please do not bring them to camp or rehearsals. If your child becomes sick with a fever over 100.0°, or other COVID-19 symptoms, which cause concern while at a CYT event, CYT will isolate your child, under adult supervision, and call for a parent to come and pick them up.
 
The child exhibiting COVID-like symptoms will not be permitted back to camp or rehearsals until they have been symptom and fever-free for 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications OR you obtain a medical professional’s note clearing your child to return based on a negative nucleic acid COVID-19 test result and being fever-free for 24 hours. We encourage anyone who has a suspected case of COVID-19 to seek out testing as soon as possible.
 
If you suspect that you or anyone in your household has COVID-19, please refrain from attending camp or rehearsals and communicate with your Camp or Show Coordinator. Please be aware that these rules are non-negotiable and will be in effect even during our tech week and show weekends.
 
Guidelines about Symptoms of COVID-19:
Send home any employee or child who has any of the following new or worsening signs or symptoms of possible COVID-19:
- Cough - Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing - Chills - Repeated shaking with chills - Muscle pain - Headache – Sore throat - Loss of taste or smell - Diarrhea - Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit - Known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19.
 
The same protocols will be followed for adults exhibiting signs of COVID-19.
 
Please note:
These are measures designed to mitigate risks of spreading germs and containing them if they are present, but there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of germs spreading in a live camp/rehearsal environment. It will take an effort from all campers, staff, and families to be vigilant with their personal health outside of rehearsals and camp so that we can avoid, as much as possible, inadvertently bringing any virus, COVID-19 or otherwise,  into our CYT space. To that end, we will also be adjusting the way we cast and rehearse our shows to ensure that anyone who is sick can be sent home to rest and heal while the show continues to go on if possible.
 
We love you, CYT!
Lastly, please know that all of these efforts are an effort to slow the spread of any illness, and that we are hoping that our CYT family will join with us in helping each other to feel comfortable and assured in moving forward with our mission of Claiming the Arts for Christ. Please help us follow these guidelines out of love for each other and because it is the only way we can move forward in person together as a CYT Family during this time of global pandemic.