Health and Safety

Please be advised that as you enter the venue for any of our events, you will be greeted by the following important information:

The Independence Squares board will be monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely. The guidelines below are subject to change based on case numbers. Please read future announcements sent via email and check back here for updates.

If you would like to research more information about COVID-19 trends, here is a site which might be helpful:
– PA Dept. of Health: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx

Additional information is available through the New York Times COVID newsletter here: NY Times

Independence Squares is committed to the safety of all attendees at our events.  As a result, the Board of Directors has put the following safety protocols in place: 

• Full vaccination plus at least one booster is required of all attendees.  All dancers must be fully vaccinated (at least two weeks past your second Pfizer or Moderna vaccination, or at least one week past your J&J vaccination) and have received a booster shot, when eligible, to attend any of our in-person events.  All attendees will be required to show their vaccination status the first time they dance in 2022 or beyond. While not required, we do encourage all dancers to stay up to date with their vaccinations, which is defined by the CDC as having had the initial vaccination(s) plus the currently recommended booster.
  
  When an attendee becomes eligible to receive a booster, they have a grace period of 15 days to get their booster while continuing to dance. Adults (16+) are currently eligible to receive a booster 5 months following a 2^nd Pfizer or Moderna vaccination, and 2 months after a J&J vaccination. These waiting periods will be modified based on changes in FDA and CDC guidelines, including recommendations for the second and subsequent boosters.
  
  Example: Alex received their 2^nd Pfizer vaccination on September 4, 2021. They are eligible to receive their booster on February 4, 2022. They may continue to dance through February 19. They must show evidence of receiving their booster to attend any events starting on February 20, 2022.
• A copy of your vaccination card will not be kept by the club.  You can present the original vaccination card or a photo of same, even on your phone.  A photo ID will also be required at your first attendance.
  
• A properly worn mask, defined as covering both your nose and mouth, is required at all times while in the dance halls (N95 or KN95 masks are preferred).  (Note that the callers will not be required to wear masks while calling but will maintain a distance of at least 6’ from the dancers while calling and will be masked when not calling).  Other types of face coverings are not permitted as the sole face covering.  The mask can be raised or lowered briefly for consumption of beverages or snacks. Masks are not required, but are encouraged, outside of the dance spaces.
• Frequent hand washing is encouraged. The use of hand sanitizer immediately after each tip is also encouraged.
  
• Individually wrapped snacks may be brought to share with other attendees.
  
• A club provided “Waiver and Release Of Liability” must be signed in the presence of a club officer or designee upon attending your first post shutdown Independence Squares event.  The form can be downloaded and can be printed in advance and brought to the event. The form is to be signed in the presence of a club officer or designee.  Copies will be available at the event. 

Health Related Communications

The Board of Directors of Independence Squares will continue to monitor COVID-19 trends and our safety protocols and will make certain to communicate any protocol changes to the membership. Such notification will be done through our Google Group email list. The same list will be used to notify our dancers of possible exposures if a dancer informs us of a positive COVID-19 test within 5 days of one of our events. The identity of the dancer will not be revealed.

If you are not on our Google Groups list but wish to receive notifications from us, please inform us as follows:

• To receive all emails that are sent out by Independence Squares, including protocol changes, notification of upcoming events, and notification of possible health related exposures at one of our events, you can join our Google Group here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/independence-squares/join.

• To receive only notifications of a possible health related exposure at one of our events, email your request to: independencesquares@hotmail.com.

In either case, you can relay your wishes to us in person at any of our events by speaking with a club officer.