Covid

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are held with windows opened at the Methodist Church, which gives a very good level of ventilation. Testing with a carbon dioxide meter showed that there is no sustained buildup of exhalations during rehearsals.

We aim to adopt precautions that will keep the risks of rehearsal comparable to a car journey, even for an unvaccinated attendee. Currently these are:

  • Everyone to arrive separately or in household bubbles and avoid mixing and mingling.
  • 2m distancing preferred, but 1m is acceptable if wearing a mask. 
  • Wear a mask when moving around the building (unless you are unable to) and consider wearing one when singing. It cuts your risk by 50% or more, depending how well fitted.
  • Take care to maintain distancing when leaving and arriving, going through doorways, etc.
  • Avoid too much singing loudly, keep to volume of normal conversation.
  • Consider taking an LFT in advance of the session if think you may be at risk of being infectious (this is not compulsory). Omicron becomes infectious more quickly than Delta, so the test should be same day.
  • DO NOT come to the rehearsal if you have any symptoms or worries about infection- DO NOT share music sheets, pencils, water, cups, music stands, keyboard etc.
  • If using toilets, sanitise all surfaces you touch before and after use. The toilets will be available to other users of the church space.

Performances

Singers will be asked not to attend if they have symptoms. Venues will be ventilated and there will be a period between rehearsal and performance to clear the air. We are not using kitchen facilities to serve refreshments as this involves too much crowding. Distancing will be maintained during rehearsal and performance. Singers may wear masks to cut their own risks during rehearsal and/or performance (this is not compulsory).

Singers will be distanced from the audience.

Audience members are encouraged to distance when moving around the building and when choosing seats. The risk from their exhalation is low, as they are seated quietly and not speaking during the performance.

Audience members can reduce their risk of infection to near-zero by wearing a well-fitting FFP2 or FFP3 mask during the performance and taking refreshments outside.