This page has been compiled by Sally Wearing, our H&S Advisor. Please bear in mind that it can take a few days between new guidance emerging and Sally reading it all and writing a summary. If you have further questions that the info below doesn’t answer … please email sallywearing@outlook.com .
See all our Covid-19 pages:
- Main Covid-19 page
- Practices (this page)
- Performances
- Online Practices
- Insurance
Update on 6th February 2022
This only applies to England. If you would like advice for other parts of the UK, please contact Sally Wearing at sallywearing@outlook.com.
The government recently removed the restrictions put in place under “Plan B”. We have therefore revised this guidance for holding practices.
We strongly recommend that you read our Main Covid-19 page first, including the section on Government Guidance, as part of deciding how to practise. You should also consult all the members of your team about what they do or do not want to do.
Close contact: the government is still recommending limiting close contact with people you do not usually live with, as this can help reduce your risk. You should also consider who else members of your team are in close contact with, such as at work or with other teams or during other activities.
Outdoor practices: this is still the safest way to practise. This is not likely to be practical for most teams in the winter, but if you can practise outdoors, you should do so. If whole practices cannot be held outdoors, consider holding as much as possible outside.
Ventilation for indoor practices: the risk of transmission is greater indoors. If you decide to practise indoors, you need to increase the ventilation as much as possible by introducing plenty of fresh air into your practice room. If possible, you should do this before people arrive.
Opening windows and doors is the simplest way of improving ventilation, especially if you can open them at opposite sides of your practice room to provide a good cross flow of fresh air. But you do need to balance warmth with the amount of ventilation; if it is not comfortable to leave windows fully open, even opening them slightly can improve ventilation while reducing cold draughts. Opening windows for just 10 minutes can make a significant difference. This is particularly important before, during and after meeting people indoors who you do not live with.
The government has provided specific guidance on how to make sure the ventilation is adequate. They recommend using a carbon dioxide (CO2) monitor. For areas where there is physical activity such as dancing, or continuous talking or singing, they recommend keeping CO2 levels below 800ppm. If you have access to a CO2 monitor, we suggest using it to check that the ventilation in your practice venue is sufficient. The government guidance for events and attractions includes information on how to use one.
Venues: any business or organisation hosting a practice should also comply with the applicable government guidance. Whoever manages it should tell you what they have done to minimise the risk of transmission and what you should do while using their venue. They are responsible for minimising the risk from their premises; you are responsible for managing the risks from your activities, e.g. dancing and playing music.
Risk Assessment for Practices
We have updated the Covid risk assessment template for outdoor and indoor practices. If you have not already done a risk assessment for practices, you can use the template risk assessment below, which covers both outdoor and indoor practices. As above, we recommend reviewing each of the controls in it and deciding whether your team wants to keep them in place or not.
Template Risk Assessment: This is provided in these formats:
- Template Risk Assessment for Practices (PDF) (opens in new window)
- Template Risk Assessment for Practices (Word Format) (editable version – downloads to your ‘downloads’ folder when clicked)
- Template Risk Assessment for Practices (Rich Text Format) (editable version – downloads to your ‘downloads’ folder when clicked)
You need to customise it to your team and venue; please start by reading these notes on How to use the Template Risk Assessments (PDF). If you use the template, please send any comments, criticisms or suggestions for improvements to Sally at sallywearing@outlook.com. She is always keen to get feedback.
Queries
If you still have queries that the above doesn’t answer … please email sallywearing@outlook.com
