COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols (Fall 2020)
The KSOA has been working diligently to be able to provide safe art programs, looking to meet or exceed ministry standards of operation. In the interest of protecting our students, instructors, and staff, the KSOA will follow all existing worker health and safety requirements as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, public health requirements as directed by the Kingston medical officer of health, and other relevant requirements as outlined in policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture.
Plans are in place to respond should any student, instructor or staff be exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
KSOA will ensure all current infection prevention and control practices are adhered to. This includes, but is not limited to:
● Ensuring all art materials and equipment used are made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected, or are single use and are disposed of at the end of the day;
● Minimizing the sharing and frequency of touching of objects, equipment and surfaces, and other personal items;
● Increasing the frequency (minimum two times daily) of cleaning and disinfecting objects, art supplies, equipment and frequently touched items;
● Cleaning and disinfecting, at least two times daily, frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs, light switches, toilet and faucet handles, tabletops, and chairs.
● All surfaces and shared materials in all studios will be wiped down and disinfected between each session
● Performing and promoting frequent, proper hand hygiene. Hand washing using soap and water, and the use of hand sanitizers will be emphasized
● Hand sanitizer will be available in all studios, washrooms, at all entrances
● Allocating specific washrooms to specific programs to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
The KSOA will encourage physical distancing of at least 2 meters between students by:
● Establishing art activity stations at least 2 meters apart
● Using visual cues (e.g., signs, posters, floor markings, etc.);
The KSOA will operate programs in consistent classes of no more than 10 individuals including both students and instructors, with the following considerations:
● While close contact may be unavoidable between members of a class, physical distancing and general infection prevention and control practices will be encouraged, where possible;
● Face coverings (non-medical masks) will be used by students and instructors at all times, until the current public health requirements is changed.
● Classes will not mix with other classes or be within in the same room/space at the same time,
● Programs that utilize a room/space that is shared by classes or has other user groups will be cleaned and disinfected before and after using the space. A cleaning log will be posted and used to track cleaning;
● Personal belongings brought to class should be minimized.
Meals and Snacks:
●Students and instructors must bring their own thermos or water bottle, as the kitchen area will not be used.
Entrances:
● Students and instructors attending classes is the back studio will use the gallery entrance on Victoria St., and will be using gallery washroom.
Students and instructors attending classes in the front studio will use the main KSOA entrance on Princess St. and will be using the studio washroom.
Screening:
Record Keeping:
● The KSOA will keep daily records of anyone entering the KSOA who stays for 15 minutes or longer. Records (e.g., name, contact information, time of arrival/departure, screening completion etc.) will be kept up-to-date and available to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case or outbreak.
Management of student/instructor with suspected COVID-19:
If a student or instructor begins to experience symptoms of COVID-19 while attending class, KSOA staff will ensure that:
● Symptomatic participants are immediately separated from others until they can go home.
● We will contact the KFLA public health unit to notify them of a potential case and seek advice regarding the information that should be shared with other students or instructors.
● Environmental cleaning/disinfection of the space and items used by the individual will be conducted once the individual has left. Items that cannot cleaned and disinfected (e.g., paper, books, cardboard puzzles) will be removed from the area
● Other students and instructors who were present while a student or staff member became ill will be identified as a close contact and should self-isolate at home. The local public health unit will provide any further direction on testing and isolation of these close contacts.
● Students or instructors who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded from the program setting for 14 days.
Testing for COVID-19
● If there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 at the school the facility will remain closed for 24 hours to facilitate a deep cleaning of the building.
● Students and instructors awaiting test results will be excluded from the KSOA.
Occupational Health & Safety:
● All KSOA staff will receive training in all policies and procedures in regard to Ministry of Health requirements.
● If a KSOA staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will remain off work for 14 days following symptom onset and must receive clearance from the KFLA public health unit to return.
● If a staff member is a close contact of an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, the staff member will be required to remain off work for 14 days from their last exposure and must consult with the local public health unit to determine when they can return to work.
The KSOA has been working diligently to be able to provide safe art programs, looking to meet or exceed ministry standards of operation. In the interest of protecting our students, instructors, and staff, the KSOA will follow all existing worker health and safety requirements as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, public health requirements as directed by the Kingston medical officer of health, and other relevant requirements as outlined in policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture.
Plans are in place to respond should any student, instructor or staff be exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
KSOA will ensure all current infection prevention and control practices are adhered to. This includes, but is not limited to:
● Ensuring all art materials and equipment used are made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected, or are single use and are disposed of at the end of the day;
● Minimizing the sharing and frequency of touching of objects, equipment and surfaces, and other personal items;
● Increasing the frequency (minimum two times daily) of cleaning and disinfecting objects, art supplies, equipment and frequently touched items;
● Cleaning and disinfecting, at least two times daily, frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs, light switches, toilet and faucet handles, tabletops, and chairs.
● All surfaces and shared materials in all studios will be wiped down and disinfected between each session
● Performing and promoting frequent, proper hand hygiene. Hand washing using soap and water, and the use of hand sanitizers will be emphasized
● Hand sanitizer will be available in all studios, washrooms, at all entrances
● Allocating specific washrooms to specific programs to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
The KSOA will encourage physical distancing of at least 2 meters between students by:
● Establishing art activity stations at least 2 meters apart
● Using visual cues (e.g., signs, posters, floor markings, etc.);
The KSOA will operate programs in consistent classes of no more than 10 individuals including both students and instructors, with the following considerations:
● While close contact may be unavoidable between members of a class, physical distancing and general infection prevention and control practices will be encouraged, where possible;
● Face coverings (non-medical masks) will be used by students and instructors at all times, until the current public health requirements is changed.
● Classes will not mix with other classes or be within in the same room/space at the same time,
● Programs that utilize a room/space that is shared by classes or has other user groups will be cleaned and disinfected before and after using the space. A cleaning log will be posted and used to track cleaning;
● Personal belongings brought to class should be minimized.
Meals and Snacks:
●Students and instructors must bring their own thermos or water bottle, as the kitchen area will not be used.
Entrances:
● Students and instructors attending classes is the back studio will use the gallery entrance on Victoria St., and will be using gallery washroom.
Students and instructors attending classes in the front studio will use the main KSOA entrance on Princess St. and will be using the studio washroom.
Screening:
- All individuals entering the KSOA must complete a daily health screening checklist. The KSOA will deny entry to any individual who has any of the symptoms outlined in the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website or who has come in close contact with a person with symptoms of or confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
- Face masks must be worn inside the KSOA
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol content will be placed at all entrances to the School, and must be used by everyone entering the KSOA.
- The KSOA will contact the KFLA public health unit to report a student or instructor suspected to have COVID-19. The local public health unit will provide specific advice on what control measures should be implemented to prevent the potential spread and how to protect and, if needed, isolate students and instructors.
Record Keeping:
● The KSOA will keep daily records of anyone entering the KSOA who stays for 15 minutes or longer. Records (e.g., name, contact information, time of arrival/departure, screening completion etc.) will be kept up-to-date and available to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case or outbreak.
Management of student/instructor with suspected COVID-19:
If a student or instructor begins to experience symptoms of COVID-19 while attending class, KSOA staff will ensure that:
● Symptomatic participants are immediately separated from others until they can go home.
● We will contact the KFLA public health unit to notify them of a potential case and seek advice regarding the information that should be shared with other students or instructors.
● Environmental cleaning/disinfection of the space and items used by the individual will be conducted once the individual has left. Items that cannot cleaned and disinfected (e.g., paper, books, cardboard puzzles) will be removed from the area
● Other students and instructors who were present while a student or staff member became ill will be identified as a close contact and should self-isolate at home. The local public health unit will provide any further direction on testing and isolation of these close contacts.
● Students or instructors who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded from the program setting for 14 days.
Testing for COVID-19
- Symptomatic students and instructors will be referred for testing.
- Those who test negative for COVID-19 will be excluded from the program until 24 hours after symptom resolution. If a symptomatic person receives a negative result, a repeat test within 24-48 hours can be considered if clinical suspicion is high.
- Those who test positive for COVID-19 must be excluded from the program for 14 days after the onset of symptoms and clearance has been received from the local public health unit.
● If there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 at the school the facility will remain closed for 24 hours to facilitate a deep cleaning of the building.
● Students and instructors awaiting test results will be excluded from the KSOA.
Occupational Health & Safety:
● All KSOA staff will receive training in all policies and procedures in regard to Ministry of Health requirements.
● If a KSOA staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will remain off work for 14 days following symptom onset and must receive clearance from the KFLA public health unit to return.
● If a staff member is a close contact of an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, the staff member will be required to remain off work for 14 days from their last exposure and must consult with the local public health unit to determine when they can return to work.