COVID-19 Guidelines and Protocols

To ensure the health and safety of our faculty and students, The Guelph Academy of Dance Inc. is following all guidelines and protocols set in place by Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health, the Ontario Government and the Ontario Dance and Performing Arts Studios Workplace Guidelines for COVID-19. We will continue to adapt to new regulations enacted by the Ontario Government and WDGPH.

To further protect Ontarians as the province continues to confront the Delta-driven fourth wave of the COVID-19, the government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, will require people to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination status to access fitness and recreational facilities starting September 22, 2021. Parents, guardians and visitors will need to be fully vaccinated (two doses plus 14 days) and provide their proof of vaccination along with photo ID to access the studio. At this time, youth recreational sports (children 17 years and younger) are exempt from this mandate, but we will continue to monitor the changes introduced by the government throughout the dance season.

Download a PDF copy of the COVID-19 Guidelines and Protocols

TGAD COVID-19 procedures and protocols Download

Arriving at the studio:

Dancers will be screened and have their temperature recorded by TGAD staff prior to entry (active screening). We are following the Government of Ontario’s School screening questions: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/
Students should not arrive more than 10 minutes before their class. Please wait outside.
Students must arrive wearing a non-medical mask and continue to wear it in all common areas and the studios.
Dancers must line up outside of the facility in their designated area depending on which studio they are dancing in:
1. Purple Studio – entrance and exit to the right of the main entrance
1. Yellow and Blue Studio – entrance and exit through the main doors
Hair should be pulled back in a bun or ponytail before entering the building – teachers cannot help dancers with hair
Students will go directly to their studio upon arrival and exit only to use the washroom
Everyone is to sanitize their hands prior to entering and upon leaving each studio. If a dancer cannot use hand sanitizer, they will be asked to wash their hands immediately upon entering the studio for a minimum of 20 seconds.

Parents and Guardians:

Parents/guardians will not be allowed to enter the facility
1. Exception for our youngest dancers age 3-6 years
1. a viewing schedule will be created by Briana to permit two parents to observe the class on a rotating basis throughout the Fall and Winter.
1. Pre Ballet 1-4, Pre Jazz, Jazz 1, Jazz 1/2 and Tap 1/2 families will receive a viewing schedule before the season begins
1. Parents, guardians and visitors who enter the studio must show proof of vaccination as of September 22^nd, 2021.
1. One family member per viewing spot and masks are mandatory.
1. Parents who enter the facility to view the dance class must self-assess their health using the Government of Ontario’s tool: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/

Screening Questions prior to entry:

Parents MUST keep their dancer(s) home if they answer YES to any of the below screening questions (with the exception of question 2):

Do they have any of the following symptoms:
Fever and/or chills Temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius/100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)
Cough or barking cough (croup)Continuous, more than usual, making a whistling noise when breathing (not related to asthma, post-infectious reactive airways, COPD, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
Shortness of breath Out of breath, unable to breathe deeply (not related to asthma or other known causes or conditions you already have)
Decrease or loss of taste or smell Not related to seasonal allergies, neurological disorders, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
Muscle aches/joint pain Unusual, long-lasting (not related to getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the last 48 hours, a sudden injury, fibromyalgia, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
Extreme tiredness Unusual, fatigue, lack of energy (not related to getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the last 48 hours, depression, insomnia, thyroid dysfunction, or other known causes or conditions you already have)

Did the student/child receive their final (or second in a two-dose series) COVID-19 vaccination dose more than 14 days ago, or have they tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days and have since been cleared? If YES, skip questions 3, 4, 5.
Is someone that the student/child lives with currently experiencing any new COVID-19 symptoms and/or waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms? If the individual experiencing symptoms received a COVID-19 vaccination in the last 48 hours and is experiencing mild fatigue, muscle aches, and/or joint pain that only began after vaccination, select “No.”
In the last 10 days, has the student/child been identified as a “close contact” of someone who currently has COVID-19? If public health has advised you that you do not need to self-isolate, select “No.”
In the last 10 days, has the student/child received a COVID Alert exposure notification on their cell phone? If they already went for a test and got a negative result, select “No.”
In the last 14 days, has the student/child travelled outside of Canada AND: • been advised to quarantine as per the federal quarantine requirements AND/OR • is the student/child under the age of 12 and not fully vaccinated? If travel was solely due to a cross border custody arrangement, select “No.”
Has a doctor, health care provider, or public health unit told you that the student/child should currently be isolating (staying at home)? This can be because of an outbreak or contact tracing.
In the last 10 days, has the student/child tested positive on a rapid antigen test or a home-based self-testing kit? If the student/child has since tested negative on a lab-based PCR test, select “No.”

Leaving the studio:

Classes will end 5-minutes early to ensure sufficient time to clean and sanitize before the next group enters.
Dancers exit the studio using the door assigned to their last class of the day
Parents, please pick up your dancer outside of the studio
Dancers will sanitize their hands as they exit

Inside the facility:

Space markers have been placed in common areas and studios to ensure two metre physical distancing requirements are adhered to at all times.
Social Distancing signs are found throughout the facility
Hand sanitizing stations are found outside of each studio, the entrance and exit doors and the washrooms
Changerooms are closed until further notice
The Water fountain is closed with bottle filler remaining accessible with frequent cleaning between use
Reception area chairs have been removed to increase the unobstructed space

What to bring to dance class:

All dancers must wear a non-medical mask
Students should come dressed in their dance uniform with street clothes overtop to eliminate changing on site.
Please bring a small bag to place street clothing inside when they are inside the facility
Limit the number of items brought to class
Each student must bring their own labeled, filled, water bottle from home

Change rooms will be closed. Students will leave shoes on the shoe racks outside of each studio.
Please do not bring plush stuffed animals to the studio

During class:

Class sizes are capped to ensure physical distancing
Ballet barres are taped into 6-foot sections, one dancer per section.
Floors are marked with boxes to ensure physical distancing while in class
Instructors will wear masks while teaching
Masks are mandatory for all dancers – mask breaks will be taken during class and when the students are physically distanced in their marked squares

What to do if you have two classes in one day:

Dancers must sanitize their hands upon leaving their room
Please bring all items and outdoor shoes to the next studio if changing studios
Dancers with time between their two classes must wait in the reception room on a physically distanced spot
Parents – please pick up your dancer using the entrance/exit assigned to the studio of the LAST class of the day

Washrooms inside the facility:

Each studio has an assigned bathroom:
1. Purple studio – please use the purple bathroom
1. Yellow studio – please use the pink bathroom
1. Blue studio – please use the blue bathroom
One student will be permitted to use the washroom at a time.
Washrooms are cleaned every hour using a Health Canada approved cleaner and sanitizer with and 8-digit DIN
Automatic soap dispensers have been installed
Paper towels are available for drying hands

Cleaning and Sanitizing:

Studios are disinfected between each class – Ballet barres, doorknobs, light switches, stereo equipment and other commonly touched surfaces
All studios are equipped with cleaner, sanitizer, paper towels, hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and other approved cleaning equipment
Common areas are cleaned and sanitized each hour
Water Bottle filling station is cleaned and sanitized each hour
The entire facility is sanitized at the end of each day
We are using approved cleaning products approved by Health Canada and have a Drug Identification Number (DIN)

HVAC system at The Guelph Academy of Dance:

Each studio’s heating and ventilation is controlled by its own HVAC system. The air is not circulated throughout the entire facility, but is contained to each room.
The reception area is also controlled by its own furnace and air conditioner.
Filters are changed on a regular basis

We have mandated that all TGAD faculty members, staff and assistants:

Daily health checks for all faculty members, staff and assistants that follow the Ontario Self-Assessment tool: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/
Masks will be worn while inside the facility AND while teaching/assisting
Wash and sanitize their hands, before and after every class
Clean and disinfect personal items such as iPads, iPods, computers and other highly touched surfaces
Enhanced cleaning practices are in place. All ballet barres, door knobs, shelving, stereo equipment, window ledges and other items are sanitized after every class
When she is not teaching, Briana Lynch will be in the office/reception area in order to support our faculty, staff, students and parents.
We will work collaboratively to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place and adhered to.
Faculty members, staff and assistants will stay home if they are sick and/or not feeling well

What happens is a dancer develops symptoms while at the studio?

The individual who displays symptoms will be immediately moved away from the other dancers
The purple changeroom has been dedicated to anyone who develops symptoms while they are in our facility.
1. The floor does not have carpet, and is easily cleaned and sanitized.
1. The air in the purple changeroom only circulates with the reception area.
The dancer will be supervised by Briana or a staff member in the assigned area in full PPE
Parents will be called and informed immediately
Parents whose children develop symptoms will be asked to have their child tested for COVID-19 – advice directly from the WDGPH.

TGAD Covid-19 procedures and protocols will continue to adapt as new mandates are enacted by the Ontario Government and WDGPH. All changes will be communicated with families by email and social media posts.

Thank you for your cooperation and we are looking forward to a GREAT 16^th season.

Happy Dancing!