Queer|Art Guide to COVID Safer Events

Gran Fury, 1989[ID: A Blue banner with white text hangs across a street in New York City. The text reads “All people with AIDS are innocent”.]

Gran Fury, 1989

[ID: A Blue banner with white text hangs across a street in New York City. The text reads “All people with AIDS are innocent”.]

In the legacy of queer artists engaged in the (ongoing) fight for people living with HIV/AIDS, we at Queer|Art firmly believe that infection with COVID-19 is not an indicator of personal or moral failure. Unchecked community spread is the consequence of government failure to pay people to stay home, and cannot be pushed off onto “individual responsibility”. We recognize that while acting as “safely” as possible, we all exist within a world of risk. 

Even as vaccines become more widely available, there are many reasons that individuals may be unable or unwilling to get vaccinated (including the trauma of medical racism) and as such, we will have to continue to take precautions until the risk of infection decreases to safe levels. Our goal in providing these guidelines is to empower people hosting, participating in, and attending arts events with information to act in ways that minimize the risk to themselves and others.

Below is an amalgamation of advice from medical / government authorities and guides for best practices when having public arts events (As of this date, April 1). We encourage you to use it as a launching point when researching how to hold safe events. This is not intended as legal, scientific, or medical advice and should not be relied upon as such.

GUIDE TO COVID SAFER EVENTS

COVID Current Info / Refresher

Up to Date Info

Even as vaccines are rolled out, the COVID situation in each community is always shifting. Be sure to check-in with relevant local / state authorities for the most up to date information on infection rates in your area. For those in NYC, check here.

COVID Symptoms

Via CDC:

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Fever or chills

  • Cough

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

  • Fatigue

  • Muscle or body aches

  • Headache

  • New loss of taste or smell

  • Sore throat

  • Congestion or runny nose

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Diarrhea

Use the CDC’s COVID-19 Self Screening Tool if you need help determining if you should be tested, or need to stay home.

How COVID Spreads

Via AGMA SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook:

COVID-19 is thought to primarily spread in three ways:

1. Respiratory Droplets

The primary spread is from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, or even just talks. These droplets can land in the mouths, noses, or mucous membranes of people who are nearby, or possibly be inhaled directly into the lungs. As a result, spread is more likely when people are in close contact -- within 6’ or less -- which is the reason “social distancing” is so critical to stemming the spread of the virus.

2. Aerosol Spread

Another form of transmission is via aerosol spread are generated when people breathe, talk, sing, or exert themselves and breathe heavily. These aerosols can remain suspended in the air for several hours and travel much further by drifting on air currents. Aerosol transmission is a bigger risk when people are gather indoors, especially if ventilation is inadequate. More aerosols are generated with vocal projection and singing than talking. The louder the singing or talking, the higher the potential for viral containing droplets and aerosols to be generated and dispersed. 


3. Surface Transmission*

The virus can also be spread through surface transmission when a person’s hand becomes contaminated from touching a contaminated surface (door handles, studio floors, and more) and then the person touches their face and mucous membranes, transferring the virus. 

*The CDC states that “Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads.”

COVID Variants

Via Mayo Clinic: 

Currently, three new variants of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are creating concern. These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly among people, causing more infections with the COVID-19 virus. All three variants have now been identified in the U.S., as well as many other countries.

  • A variant identified in the U.K. This COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.7) has 23 mutations. Several of these mutations are in the spikelike S protein that the virus uses to attach itself to the surface of human cells. This variant might be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variants, but further research is needed.

  • A variant identified in South Africa. This variant (B.1.351) has multiple mutations in the S protein. There's no evidence that this variant cause more severe disease due to COVID-19.

  • A variant identified in Brazil. This variant (P.1) has 17 mutations, including 3 in the S protein. Some evidence suggests that this variant might be less vulnerable to antibodies generated by a previous COVID-19 infection or a COVID-19 vaccine.

Early research that still needs to be finalized suggests that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can provide protection against the variants identified in the U.K. and South Africa. Vaccine manufacturers are also looking into creating booster shots to improve protection against variants.

The most recent data suggests that the approved vaccines are not only effective at preventing vaccinated people from getting sick, but also 90% effective at preventing infection from vaccinated to unvaccinated people in real world tests.

Key Practices for Safety

No One Method is Perfect

COVID safety practices can be thought of as pieces of Swiss Cheese. Every method has shortcomings (or holes) that allow for the possibility of infection. By employing multiple methods simultaneously, we can reduce the risk of spread.

Via AGMA SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook:

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4 Keys to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission

Via Frequently Asked Questions for COVID-19 Reopening in NYC: Group Music Activities

  1. Stay home if you’re sick: Stay home if you are sick unless you are leaving for essential medical care (including COVID-19 testing) or other essential errands. 

  1. Physical distancing: Stay at least 6 feet away from others. 

  1. Wear a face covering: Protect those around you. You can be contagious without symptoms and spread the disease when you cough, sneeze or talk. Face coverings help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Current CDC recommendations are for two face coverings.

  1. Practice healthy hand hygiene: Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available; clean frequently touched surfaces regularly; avoid touching your face with unwashed hands; and cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hands.

Risk Factors to Consider 

Via CDC Guidance for Organizing Large Events and Gatherings

Several factors can contribute to the likelihood of attendees getting and spreading COVID-19 at large events. In combination, the following factors will create higher or lower amounts of risk:

  • Number of COVID-19 cases in your community—High or increasing levels of COVID-19 cases in the event location, or the locations the attendees are coming from, increase the risk of infection and spread among attendees. Relevant data can often be found on the local health department website or on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker County View.

  • Exposure during travel—Airports, airplanes, bus stations, buses, train stations, trains, public transport, gas stations, and rest stops are all places where physical distancing may be challenging and ventilation may be poor.

  • Setting of the event—Indoor events, especially in places with poor ventilation, pose more risk than outdoor events.

  • Length of the event—Events that last longer pose more risk than shorter events. Being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more (over a 24-hour period) greatly increases the risk of becoming infected and requires quarantine.

  • Number and crowding of people at the event – Events with more people increase the likelihood of being exposed. The size of the event should be determined based on whether attendees from different households can stay at least 6 feet (2 arm lengths) apart. Physical distancing at events can reduce transmission risk—for example, blocking off seats or modifying room layouts.

  • Behavior of attendees during an event— Events where people engage in behaviors such as interacting with others from outside their own household, singing, shouting, not maintaining physical distancing, or not wearing masks consistently and correctly, can increase risk.

Signs and Messages

Via CDC Guidance for Organizing Large Events and Gatherings

 

  • Broadcast regular announcements on reducing the spread of COVID-19 on public address systems.

 

  • Include messages (for example, videos) about behaviors that prevent spread of COVID-19 when communicating with staff, vendors, and attendees (such as on the invitation, on the event website, and through event social media accounts).

 

  • Consider developing signs and messages in multiple languages and formats (for example, large print, braille, American Sign Language) for people who have limited vision or are blind or people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

    • Learn more about reaching people of diverse languages and cultures by visiting: Know Your Audience.

 

 

For More Posters and Flyers in multiple languages, check out this resource from NYC Health.

Key Lessons for Reopening From Arts Organizations

Via The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices Among Arts Organizations During COVID-19

1. Strengthen ties with your immediate community. Aligning arts programming with local community needs is paramount, whether through indoor or outdoor programming, virtual arts engagement, or a mix of opportunities.

2. The doctor is “in”—or should be. Identifying a public health professional or team to advise on reopening strategies can make all the difference. 

3. Isolation? More like “quality time.” Creating pods or “bubbles” of artist teams can advance safety goals—and also can boost morale. 

4. The unexpected will continue to happen. Be transparent when it does. Adapting quickly to new circumstances and information, and communicating those lessons promptly and effectively to artists/staff, board members, donors, and the public will attract greater confidence in your endeavor. 

5. First principles matter. They can restore a sense of shared purpose for artists, staff, partners—and donors. Hearkening back to the mission and artistic vision of your organization can lend momentum and vitality to your reopening strategy.

6. Bring that videographer along for the ride! Partnering with a media/tech organization—or a media/tech-savvy artist—can help you to document your journey and find ways to reach broader audiences than you ever might have reached previously. 

Safety Plans

A consistent feature of different strategies of hosting safe(r) events or reopening during COVID is the development of a specific Safety Plan that requires organizers of an event to think through specifics of how they will be keeping themselves and the attendees safe during the event(s).

A Few Models of what a Safety Plan can look like:

NYC Events Permits Safety Plan

CDC Events and Gatherings Readiness and Planning Tool

AGMA/SDC Implementation Checklist (scroll to Appendix 2 on page 40)

NYS Safety Plan Template for Essential Businesses

We encourage you to build off of any (or a blend) of these templates, and customize the plan to suit the needs of your event.