2020-03-16 Update
From the US Centers for Disease Control
Guidance as of 3/15/2020
CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States. Read full recommendation.
One of the key values of Hearthlight is Safety, and the leadership of Hearthlight would be remiss if we were not carefully monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in our communities. As such, we would like to share some resources for staying safe in your Hearthlight communities, both for event coordinators and participants.
The best way to keep up-to-date on the latest recommendations is to monitor international, national, and state government websites who are updating their information daily based on this fast-changing situation.
Resources
Recommendations
How does this pertain to Hearthlight activities, like fighter practice, craft nights, dinners, and larger events? Unless your local authorities are recommending cancellation of all gatherings and activities, current recommendations are events can continue as long as safety precautions are taken. A mandate to cancel all activities is not the standard at this time.
When to stay home?
If you’re sick (headache, runny nose, cough, fever are the most concerning symptoms)
If you’re immuno-compromised
If you’re older than 60 y.o.
When in doubt, stay home! Be safe! Keep your community safe!
How can I reduce the risk of transmission?
Current understanding of transmission is by droplets (not airborne), which means the virus is transferred by sick people coughing/sneezing and other people touching the droplets that have been left on things and then touching their own face
Wash your hands REGULARLY
Use CDC Approved cleaning products to both clean and disinfect surfaces as well as any shared tools regularly
Wash your clothes and any loaner garb immediately on returning home from the event (don’t leave it in a pile for later)
Locations
Outdoors is fine
Inside needs to be carefully cleaned and the larger the open space the better
Don’t touch other people OR your face
Don’t shake hands
Don’t grapple/wrestle
Don’t hug/kiss/etc
Don’t touch your FACE or other people’s
Staying >3ft away from other humans is best!
What about food and drinks?
WASH YOUR HANDS (before preparing or eating food)
Don’t share containers for drinks
Don’t share plates for food
Public food should be single serve where possible
Non-single serve food MUST have serving utensils
Avoid buffet-style food
I’m running an event, what do I need to know?
Monitor the local, state, and national resources for recommendations
Remember, travel may become restricted in your area, so be aware for yourself and your attendees
Outdoors is better than indoors; bigger spaces are better than smaller ones
Consider banning close-contact fighting activities like grappling/wrestling
Make good choices around food/drink (if you were planning on going to a buffet, think about getting takeout instead, etc)
Remind people to be SAFE; when in doubt, they should not attend
If someone reports having this illness after the event, report an “exposure” to the attendees (but remember, for privacy reasons, you should NOT report the name of the person)
What are some activities we can do remotely (not physically in the same place)?
Hangouts, Facebook Chat, Discord, Skype, other Video Chat program of your choice can be used to hold online versions and meetups
Crafting
Lecture/discussion on a particular historical topic/craft
Bardic
Gaming session (board, D&D, videogame)
Business meeting
Feast (make food in your own kitchen and gather on video to eat together)
Movie watch
If we work together, we should be able to continue having a strong community and fun activities while still staying safe. Please reach out to hearthlightgame@gmail.com if you have any further questions.
Thanks!
Your Hearthlight Leadership Team
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