I sent this email earlier, but I think maybe it didn't come through (at least I don't see it in the sharedweight archive) because of an email issue which, hopefully, I've resolved 🤞🏼. If not, I guess this email belongs to the ether.
Jeff shared the BIDA survey results. It's fairly clear that a majority of our respondents (~52%) would attend less often if we removed our mask requirement. It's also worth a note that there's a significant number (25%) who said they would attend more often if we removed it. I've talked to a lot of people in that group and they're not typically anti-vax covid deniers who can't read science and don't care about the immunocompromised. They're largely people who would like to contra dance without masks eventually and have decided at this point in the covid era that the trade offs are worth it. As far as I'm concerned people in both groups are my community—people I want to have at my dances—and as an organizer it really stinks knowing that any policy we choose will alienate one group or the other. I recognize that some people value the perspective of one group or the other more—and for the moment the pro-mask one seems to be larger out here—but I personally don't really think either group is being particularly unreasonable. I don't have a great solution, but I want to acknowledge that it's not an easy call. Harris On Tue, Jan 3, 2023 at 8:59 PM Jeff Kaufman via Organizers < [email protected]> wrote: > Joe: I think it depends what your community wants. Here's the BIDA survey > Don referred to: > https://blog.bidadance.org/2022/11/covid-survey-results.html Note that > almost all of the respondents filled it out online before the dance, so > it's not that we were only sampling people who had decided to come to a > masked dance. (I was pretty surprised: I expected to see a majority > against masking with a minority saying it was critical for their health, > which would have been a hard call for us as a board.) > > Mac: I don't think the spread of covid in China is relevant here: they > have a much less effective vaccine, super low acquired immunity due to > previously successful zero-covid efforts, and with the unexpected and > unmanaged collapse of their previous policy are heading for a sharp peak > that's beyond the capacity of the healthcare system. > > Jeff > > On Tue, Jan 3, 2023 at 8:55 PM lsturgen--- via Organizers < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> The organizers of the ten different dance series in Greenfield, MA have >> received overwhelmingly positive support for our continuation of strict >> protocols. Most of our dancers are grateful that they are able to safely >> resume dancing even when so many other activities still seem too risky. >> More people than you may think still need to protect themselves and their >> families from Covid, and would not be able to safely dance if the rules >> were relaxed. There are other dances in our region where masks are >> optional, and they have their supporters, but I am grateful that our >> protocols are in place, and most importantly, that they are working. There >> so far has been no known Covid spread traced to any of our dances. >> Liz Sturgen >> >> Sent from the all new AOL app for Android >> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp> >> >> On Tue, Jan 3, 2023 at 6:21 PM, Joe Harrington via Organizers >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> While I'm happy to comply with any COVID policy in order to dance, and I >> choose to wear a mask at bigger events, I question whether the contra >> communities' strict policies are doing us much good, either in protecting >> us medically or in getting dances going again. Consider: >> >> 1. Even in the most restricted states (New England, etc.), nearly >> everyone is maskless nearly all the time in normal life, including most >> dancers. People eat in very crowded restaurants, ride public >> transportation, fly on airplanes, sit in airports, go shopping, work, >> attend school, do sports, go to the gym, sing, interact with friends and >> family members who have been out in the community maskless, etc., mostly >> without masks. >> >> 2. As a result of #1, covid is spreading quite effectively in our >> communities, even if a few groups are still masking. >> >> 3. As a result of #2, protocols at a dance cannot much alter community >> spread rates, even if the dance spread rate were zero. >> >> But, this isn't concerning most people because: >> >> 4. Vaccines do keep nearly every infected person out of the hospital and >> reduce long covid. >> >> 5. For those going to the hospital or suspected to be at risk, monoclonal >> and other treatments are quite effective. >> >> 6. As a result, the mortality of covid-19 is now down to three times that >> of a bad flu season, which is way down from the mass carnage of 2020. >> >> It is questionable what anything but masking is doing for us: >> >> 7. Unmasked contra dancing, even with a vaccine and negative test, does >> lead to rapid covid spread. Several camps in summer 2022 had 50+ infected >> dancers, even though they were all vaccinated and all had tested negative >> on arrival. The incubation period and false-negative rate are enough to >> allow one or two cases through, and the vaccine no longer keeps you from >> getting it, it just dramatically reduces severity. >> >> Since: >> >> 8. Even in the most conservative, vaccine-averse Southern communities, >> 90+% of contra dancers at big events say they are vaccinated (per survey at >> Summer Contradancers Delight Holiday in Tennessee). >> >> 9. Choosing to wear a mask remains an option for everyone, and is quite >> effective at keeping the wearer healthy, though it is not foolproof (but >> neither is life). >> >> And: >> >> 10. People have options for recreational and social activities, and many >> are choosing those with fewer or no restrictions, especially young people >> who don't have much personal risk from covid. >> >> 11. Essentially all other organized dance communities besides >> contra/English/etc. are dancing without restrictions on a national >> level, and have been since early 2022: Square, swing, blues, ballroom, >> salsa, tango, etc. >> >> It may therefore be time for communities to reconsider absolute >> restrictions, and instead encourage vaccination and mask-wearing as >> effective ways to stop the spread of diseases like covid, but also the flu, >> RSV, and other pathogens. >> >> People can still (and I do) choose to wear masks if they are concerned >> about getting covid. The idea of reducing spread at dances would be a good >> one if the rest of society were playing along. But, it isn't. When I was a >> teen, I boycotted China. China didn't change. >> >> Communities with a large component of at-risk dancers who mask in general >> life and who are vaccinated may wish to continue requiring vax+mask. In >> areas with many dancers, two dances, one requiring masks and one >> mask-optional, may make the most sense. >> >> I am especially concerned at the reduced percentage of younger dancers I >> have seen at recent events. While it seemed, prepandemic, that there was a >> nascent resurgence in the popularity of contra among the current >> twentysomethings, few of the young dancers I used to see are showing up to >> dances post-covid. When I go to swing and blues, there are lots of younger >> dancers. I am certain that if we required masks at my college contra >> dance, students would just go to ballroom, salsa, or swing. >> >> If we want to get contra going again, and especially if we want to >> attract many new younger dancers, who are not worried that getting covid >> represents a big risk to them and who have plenty of unrestricted options >> in recreational activities, perhaps it's time not to ask, "does this policy >> stop covid from transmitting at our dance," but rather, "does this policy >> significantly lower the total covid risk our dancers face?" >> >> I argue that strict policies no longer do that, given our behavior in >> society. Nonetheless, those of us who are concerned can still choose to >> reduce our own risk substantially by being vaccinated and wearing a >> well-fitting KN95 or better mask whenever we are in a crowd, including at >> dances, without requiring it of others. I do. >> >> Thanks, >> >> --jh-- >> Joe Harrington >> Organizer, Greater Orlando Contra Dance >> Faculty Advisor, Contra Knights, the UCF contra dancing club >> contraknights.org >> FB, Ig: Contra Knights >> [email protected] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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