COVID-19 Protocols and Rules

The pandemic is not over, but we are in a different phase from earlier. These are our current COVID-19 Protocols and Rules:

1. Do not come to class if you have any “cold or flu” symptoms including runny nose, sore throat, or fever. This is true whether we are in a pandemic or not! Do not come to class if you are sick.
2. We will send anyone who does come to class and is feverish, coughing, or otherwise seems ill back to home.
3. Do not come to class if you know you have been exposed to COVID within the past 5 days, even if you are currently negative. This also includes a family or household member that tests positive, or someone in your classroom if you are a student. If exposed, self-monitor for COVID symptoms and take tests for one week. (It’s possible to have COVID and spread it to other even if you don’t experience any symptoms.)
4. While masks inside the dojang are optional, we strongly recommend using them. N95 and KN94 masks have proven effectiveness in preventing infection. (If an indoor mask mandate returns in Cambridge or Massachusetts we will of course have to abide by it.)
5. If you test positive for COVID and think you either caught it at the dojang or might have exposed others at the dojang, please inform us when you were here. (We will inform others who were present via email that there was an exposure. We will not use any names.)
6. For now, we are still limiting the number of people inside the dojang. This means that during class, friends and family cannot stay inside. If you would like to observe someone in class, please make an appointment for a 30 minute visit by calling the dojang at 617-492-5070. If waiting to pick someone up, please wait outside. We will instruct kids to wait inside between the glass doors.
7. During tests, each student testing may only have one visitor to watch the test.

WHEN SHOULD YOU RETURN TO THE DOJANG IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID?

We are following the CDC guidelines for return to activity. Here are the steps.

1. From the day you test positive, count that as Day 0. You should isolate (stay out of work, school, or the dojang) until Day 5.
2. On Day 5, if you are not still experiencing symptoms, then start testing. If you get a negative antigen test at home two days in a row — i.e. on Day 5 and Day 6, or Day 6 and Day 7 — then you can return to work, school, or the dojang. However, you MUST USE A MASK and continuing to test daily to monitor.
3. If you develop symptoms again or begin to test positive again (“rebound”), then you start the clock over again with Day 1. You need to isolate again through another Day 5.
4. If you don’t develop symptoms again and continue to test negative on Days 5-10, then you are considered free from COVID after that and have no restrictions.
5. Ensuring sufficient rest is crucial to preventing a COVID infection from evolving into Long COVID. If you are still feeling fatigue or reduced lung capacity, even if you test negative, we recommend you give yourself at least a few more days. It is even better to rest for a full week, before you return to normal workouts. Take it slow when you return. This is not a time to “push through” if you feel tired, as it can lead to a serious condition worsening your capacity in the long term.

Remember, any symptoms of cold or flu and you should not come to class anyway, even if you are negative for COVID. 

Thanks, everyone, for working so hard to stay healthy and keep everyone at the dojang healthy as well.