Sound Opportunity’s COVID-19 STATEMENT
We resumed our in-person rehearsals on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. As of September 20, all members must show proof of full vaccination (which we were previously requiring on the honour system).
Virtual rehearsals are offered concurrently and singers may move back and forth between in-person and zoom rehearsals as best suited for each singer at the time.
Many additional measures are being taken to mitigate risk at Sound Opportunity Choir ever since September 15, 2020. Even with that being done, we want to emphasize that singing is still considered a high risk activity. When making decisions to attend any in-person choir rehearsals we ask that you also consider the health implications to any of your close contacts in high-risk demographics (over the age of 60, or have a chronic disease or immune compromising conditions) and close contacts who cannot be vaccinated, such as young children. Please protect yourself and your loved ones.
Protocols for Sound Opportunity in-person rehearsals as of September 20, 2021
We are following news and science updates as they happen. We also follow all Alberta Health Services’ guidelines. With this in mind, here are our protocols for in-person attendance:
- Immediately before traveling to attend each rehearsal, the participant MUST complete the Pre-Attendance Checklist (at home) and act accordingly, as part of the daily screening process. This will determine whether attendance will be permitted for that individual. (The Pre-Attendance Checklist is at the bottom of these protocols.)
- Upon arrival, while still in the vehicle, the participant is asked to put on a mask. The mask will be worn continuously: from vehicle to church, while singing (YES, while singing) and during breaks (YES, even during washroom breaks). The mask may only be removed momentarily to drink water from a personal water bottle, as necessary.
- Physical distancing of a minimum of 2 metres will be practiced at all times, both outside and inside the building. You may need to briefly wait outside with proper spacing until the lobby is clear for your turn to enter, should people arrive at the same time.
- Upon arrival inside the church, hand sanitizer must be applied before proceeding directly to an assigned position in a church pew. Take your coats and belongings with you to keep beside you in the pew.
- Hand sanitizer is to be reapplied anytime you pass through the foyer (to and from the basement, and to or from the building itself). Please note that hand sanitizer is NOT a replacement for hand washing, but an additional precaution. Thorough hand-washing with soap and water is always encouraged.
- Additional steps Sound Opportunity is taking at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church include #’s 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14:
- door knobs and commonly touched surfaces disinfected before and after rehearsals;
- we will have the same set-up for choir as last season, providing at least 2 meters between each singer, all facing the same direction, spaced to avoid standing directly behind or in front of another singer;
- the doors will open 30 minutes before rehearsal, to accommodate staggered entries;
- new music will be at your designated spot before arrival – do not pass anything from hand to hand if at all possible. (Take your music home. Bring it with you each week.);
- a maximum of two 45 minute singing sessions, with 10 minute cleared-room breaks between each;
- attendance will be taken at all rehearsals (to aid in any contact tracing should a case be detected);
- each in-person participant will sign our COVID-19 waiver once per season to ensure they have considered their risk;
- singers will sanitize (wipe down) their personal rehearsal space at the end of practice, or a few of the singers will be assigned this duty at each rehearsal.
- We encourage everyone to monitor group members’ compliance to all protocols. Remember that your mask protects me and my mask protects you as one of the strategies.
- We encourage members to follow good COVID-19 risk mitigation practices throughout their daily lives.
- As this is an evolving situation, Sound Opportunity will continue to monitor the information provided by Alberta Health Services and other resources and update our practices accordingly.
DAILY Pre-Attendance CHECKLIST re COVID-19
If you are able to truthfully answer NO to all of the questions below, you may certainly attend a Sound Opportunity in-person rehearsal if you so choose and you follow all on-site protocols, including having provided proof of full vaccination.
Are you experiencing any of the following:
- severe difficulty breathing (e.g., struggling for each breath, speaking in single words)
- severe chest pain
- having a very hard time waking up
- feeling confused
- lost consciousness
- shortness of breath at rest
- inability to lie down because of difficulty breathing
- chronic health conditions that you are having difficulty managing because of your current respiratory illness
In the past 10 days, have you experienced any of the following:
- fever
- new onset of cough or worsening of chronic cough
- new or worsening shortness of breath
- new or worsening difficulty breathing
- sore throat
- runny nose
Do you have any of the following:
- chills
- painful swallowing
- stuffy nose
- headache
- muscle or joint ache
- feeling unwell, fatigue or severe exhaustion
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or unexplained loss of appetite
- loss of sense of smell or taste
- conjunctivitis (pink eye)
In the past 14 days, did you return fromt ravel outside of Canada, or did you have close contact with someone who is confirmed as having COVID-19?
If you answer YES to any of the points above, then you should use the on-line version of this self-assessment tool, as it provides instructions as to what you need to do, which may include any of the following:
- calling 911; or
- calling 811 to discuss your symptoms with a nurse; or
- taking immediate action to self-isolate; or
- be tested for COVID-19.
And you will NOT be able to attend an in-person rehearsal of Sound Opportunity this day.
Here’s the link: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Journey/COVID-19/Pages/Assessment.aspx
Language for COVID-19 waiver of liability for choirs (adopted by Sound Opportunity)
Important information
Choir Alberta provided language for a waiver of liability regarding COVID-19 as a way of supporting member choirs as they return to in-person rehearsals and activities. It was developed by the organization’s Legal Counsel and reviewed by a lawyer.
Two signed copies of this waiver will be required by Sound Opportunity Friends Association (SOFA) before participation in Sound Opportunity in-person rehearsals or performances. The participant keeps one copy and SOFA keeps one.
Waiver of liability regarding COVID-19
Please read this carefully.
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID-19 is extremely contagious and can be spread by droplets breathed into the air by an infected person. Choir rehearsal and performance in an enclosed space has been a COVID-19 infection vector elsewhere in the world.
By signing this agreement, I acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that I may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 through participation in choir rehearsals and/or performances held by Sound Opportunity. I understand that the risk of becoming exposed or infected by COVID-19 may result from the actions, omissions or negligence of myself and others, including, but not limited to Sound Opportunity Friends Association’s contractors, volunteers and program participants or their families.
I voluntarily agree to assume all of the risks associated with participation in rehearsals held by Sound Opportunity. I accept sole responsibility for any injury (including but not limited to personal injury, disability and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind that I may experience or incur with my participation. I hereby release, discharge and hold harmless Sound Opportunity Friends Association and its contractors, agents, volunteers, fellow participants and representatives, of any liability, claim, action, damage costs or expenses of any kind arising out of my participation. I understand that this release specifically includes any claim or liability that arises whether a COVID-19 infection occurs before, during or after participation in any Sound Opportunity Friends Association event.
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Date Sign on the line above. Print name legibly below.
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