How does the recent coronavirus affect dance practitioners? Studio owners, teachers, students, and parents. Are we doing enough to make informed decisions and take precautionary measures for a clean and safe environment for dance practice at all times? Let’s DANCE our way through the novel strain of coronavirus — COVID-19, gracefully and calmly. Together, we can fight this and keep dancing like nobody’s (in this case, no-virus) watching.
What is coronavirus?
A family of viruses that may cause illnesses in animals and human. When hosted by humans, they can cause respiratory infections from the common cold to more severe diseases including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and now a novel strain — COVID-19 believed to began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
BUT BUT BUT...
The symptoms are the same as any other common cold and flu!
The advice is only for people who have recently travelled to China!
We will be fine, I need to keep dancing, rehearsing, and training.
Mythbuster
WHO advice to stay at home if you start to feel under the weather, even with mild symptoms until you recover.
It is for people who are in or have recently (past 14 days) been in areas where COVID-19 is spreading.
If where you live or where you have been shown that the virus is spreading, please follow the home-quarantine advice when showing symptoms, mild or severe.
If you develop symptoms listed above, seek medical advice immediately! Call in advance and report to the medical authority of any recent travel or close contact (within 1 meter range) with travellers to be directed to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.
How are dance practitioners (studio owners, staff, students, parents, and teachers) affected by COVID-19?
Higher rate of absenteeism.
Rehearsal or class cancellation.
Reduced rehearsal or practice hours for performances, exams and competitions from home-quarantine.
Event/performance cancellation or low attendance.
When I miss class for one day, I know it.
When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it.
When I miss class for three days, the audience knows it.
—Rudolf Nureyev—
We got to dance! No matter what.
Dancers are trained not only to dance through pain, but also to dance through illnesses. Though the work ethic is to be applauded, in view of the looming pandemic, is it still wise to ‘keep calm and dance on’?
Keep calm we should, dance on we must, but not at the expense of our health and wellbeing, as well as that of others. No matter what, health comes always, first.
WHO COVID-19 advice for public, adapted for dance practitioners.
Stay up to date on the situation of COVID-19 on official sites below, and refrain from spreading fake news on unofficial platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. If you develop symptoms of fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, call for medical help and follow the directive of the local medical authority.
It's going to take everyone going in and out of the dance/event venues to be vigilant and diligent in learning and practising the guidelines listed above as adapted from the suggestions from WHO.
Cite this article
Tarinao. (2020). Environmental safety guidelines for dance practitioners. TARIHealth, 2. Retrieved from https://www.tarinao.com/post/coronavirus-environmental-safety-guidelines-for-dance-practitioners
Reference
WHO [World Health Organisation]. (8 March, 2020)Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
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