As with most other events, many people won't be attending Ephemerisle this year due to concerns about Covid-19.
However, some boats are still planning to getting together. As such it represents an opportunity to see if the risk can be adequately mitigated, yet allow the people to have a good time.
Here's the COVID-19 policy of one such group (names and contact details deleted.)
Suggestions for improvement? Note, I'm only interested in suggestions for improving their protocol. Criticisms for attending the event at all will be deleted.
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We are committed to taking safety seriously. We recognize that, while risk cannot be completely eliminated, we are taking efforts to minimize that risk and mitigate it whenever possible. We are committed to keeping our experimental society alive during trying times in the world. This is an anarchic gathering and we do not have control over other islands’ policies. We can only take responsibility for [island]. We recommend that all islands create their own policies to mitigate the transmission of communicable disease.
As we are a “Large Island” for this event, we have brought in a medical professional who specializes in the provision of medical services for mass gatherings. He has been providing medical care to the festival community for over 10 years now at over 200 festivals.
1) If at any point before or on the way to the event you come down with fever, flu-like symptoms, or or other illness, please do not come to this gathering.
2) Minimize or eliminate contact with restaurants, gas stations, and other stops on your way to and from the event. Please use best practices with masks and sanitizer if making a stop is unavoidable.
3) Everyone docking with or camping on BBI is asked to go and get a COVID Test [i.e. CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase (RT)–PCR Diagnostic Panel] within the five days prior to their arrival at the event. There are free testing centers in both SF and East Bay. One Medical will do them for $50.
People unable to provide written documentation of testing and results from within the stated timeframe will be fined $50.00 payable in full before being allowed to board a ferry.
4) All attendees will have their temperature taken before boarding. Anyone arriving with signs or symptoms of illness will be refused transport or boarding.
5) Wristbands will be issued to all islanders who have provided appropriate testing documentation and passed a temperature check.
6) There will be a station available with non-contact temperature checks that we ask people to use daily and hand sanitizer stations located at the porta potties and other places around BBI. We ask all the citizens of BBI to assist visitors in locating the temperature check station where they can receive a wristband.
7) Masks are mandatory on the ferries. We ask that people wear masks in all areas, both indoors and outdoors. Masks are mandatory on the inside of [boat] as well as when in confined quarters on others’ boats. Please eat and drink six feet apart from others.
8) If you come down with cold or flu-like symptoms or have a temperature over 99.5, you are required to inform one of the organizers immediately or our medical staff immediately.
Remember. you are radically responsible for your own safety and comfort. We recommend a system be used that we experienced at Juplaya this year where people wore green, yellow, and red masks or scarves to signal their comfortability with being approached. (Note: we will not be providing these)
Green means approach me!
Yellow means ask me before approaching!
Red means stay at least six feet away from me!
Post-event, we recommend that people self-quarantine for 14 days, Especially taking care to avoid the elderly and immunocompromised, elderly.
We also recommend testing ASAP post-event. Notify the organizers IMMEDIATELY if you test positive within 14 days of the event.
Be clean, be hygienic, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, be respectful of each other’s boundaries. Use hand sanitizer liberally.
There is some evidence to support that supplements can help boost your immunity. Vitamins A, C, D, NAC, Quercetin, Selenium, Zinc, and Citicoline.
See this article by long time Ephemerisler Doc Andy for more info:
https://medium.com/@Brandrew/how-this-doctor-is-managing-covid-19-at-home-d4cac81a6b7f
However, some boats are still planning to getting together. As such it represents an opportunity to see if the risk can be adequately mitigated, yet allow the people to have a good time.
Here's the COVID-19 policy of one such group (names and contact details deleted.)
Suggestions for improvement? Note, I'm only interested in suggestions for improving their protocol. Criticisms for attending the event at all will be deleted.
-----
We are committed to taking safety seriously. We recognize that, while risk cannot be completely eliminated, we are taking efforts to minimize that risk and mitigate it whenever possible. We are committed to keeping our experimental society alive during trying times in the world. This is an anarchic gathering and we do not have control over other islands’ policies. We can only take responsibility for [island]. We recommend that all islands create their own policies to mitigate the transmission of communicable disease.
As we are a “Large Island” for this event, we have brought in a medical professional who specializes in the provision of medical services for mass gatherings. He has been providing medical care to the festival community for over 10 years now at over 200 festivals.
1) If at any point before or on the way to the event you come down with fever, flu-like symptoms, or or other illness, please do not come to this gathering.
2) Minimize or eliminate contact with restaurants, gas stations, and other stops on your way to and from the event. Please use best practices with masks and sanitizer if making a stop is unavoidable.
3) Everyone docking with or camping on BBI is asked to go and get a COVID Test [i.e. CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase (RT)–PCR Diagnostic Panel] within the five days prior to their arrival at the event. There are free testing centers in both SF and East Bay. One Medical will do them for $50.
People unable to provide written documentation of testing and results from within the stated timeframe will be fined $50.00 payable in full before being allowed to board a ferry.
4) All attendees will have their temperature taken before boarding. Anyone arriving with signs or symptoms of illness will be refused transport or boarding.
5) Wristbands will be issued to all islanders who have provided appropriate testing documentation and passed a temperature check.
6) There will be a station available with non-contact temperature checks that we ask people to use daily and hand sanitizer stations located at the porta potties and other places around BBI. We ask all the citizens of BBI to assist visitors in locating the temperature check station where they can receive a wristband.
7) Masks are mandatory on the ferries. We ask that people wear masks in all areas, both indoors and outdoors. Masks are mandatory on the inside of [boat] as well as when in confined quarters on others’ boats. Please eat and drink six feet apart from others.
8) If you come down with cold or flu-like symptoms or have a temperature over 99.5, you are required to inform one of the organizers immediately or our medical staff immediately.
Remember. you are radically responsible for your own safety and comfort. We recommend a system be used that we experienced at Juplaya this year where people wore green, yellow, and red masks or scarves to signal their comfortability with being approached. (Note: we will not be providing these)
Green means approach me!
Yellow means ask me before approaching!
Red means stay at least six feet away from me!
Post-event, we recommend that people self-quarantine for 14 days, Especially taking care to avoid the elderly and immunocompromised, elderly.
We also recommend testing ASAP post-event. Notify the organizers IMMEDIATELY if you test positive within 14 days of the event.
Be clean, be hygienic, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, be respectful of each other’s boundaries. Use hand sanitizer liberally.
There is some evidence to support that supplements can help boost your immunity. Vitamins A, C, D, NAC, Quercetin, Selenium, Zinc, and Citicoline.
See this article by long time Ephemerisler Doc Andy for more info:
https://medium.com/@Brandrew/how-this-doctor-is-managing-covid-19-at-home-d4cac81a6b7f