Monday meetings will be in the Drake Hall from September until further notice. A move to the new “Lifestyle Centre” facility is scheduled for November 2021. Thursday evening room bookings have been made, from September, for Beyond, PiC and AskAPS. Mono and Colour groups have opted to remain Zoom-only for the time being. See the programme on the website for dates and details.
There are currently no mandatory covid-related restrictions on use of the Community Centre facilities, so it is up to us all to ensure that everyone is as safe as practicable. The transition to live meetings will be challenging for some members and our aim is for everyone to feel safe as well as be safe. The following general guidance, to be regularly reviewed, is suggested:
Room use: Hand sanitiser should be used on entering the building. Chairs will be spaced appropriately depending on numbers in the room. Doors and windows should be left open where felt necessary in order to maximise ventilation. The Drake kitchen area will not be used until further notice, refreshments should be brought in if required.
Masks and face coverings: Views differ on wearing masks. Please consider that evidence shows:
• 100% compliance in enclosed spaces results in a significant reduction in transmission of infections
• fully vaccinated individuals infected with the covid delta variant are often asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, but can still spread virus.
Some members have already expressed their intention not to wear a face mask, while some have stated that they will. We therefore request that where possible, for our collective safety, masks are worn, but in either case for all to respect each others’ decisions.
Health: All members attending live APS meetings should be fully vaccinated. Please consider that we have elderly members and friends who have been shielding, or have family members who are vulnerable, so we would ask everyone to be responsible and not attend live meetings if they have not been vaccinated. No-one who has felt unwell (eg fatigue, headache, respiratory symptoms, fever, loss of smell) in the past 24 hours should attend live meetings. Anyone who has had a positive Covid test should not attend live meetings for the next 14 days.
Zoom: There are plans to set up a Zoom link to each Monday meeting, enabling those who are unable to attend to log on from home. With thanks to Steve Holden and Tony Wright, we have a good chance of being able to host a “hybrid” meeting where remote participants can be seen and heard. Please be aware that this is complex and it may be that the technology rejects us on the night, but not for the lack of trying.
