Music Teachers Association of NSW Advice re Reopening After Lockdown

My studio will be following the below advice, from the MTA website:

MTA NSW Covid-19 Roadmap to Reopening Response

Posted on: 7 October 2021

With restrictions scheduled to ease on Monday 11th October, many of you will be assessing your ability to return to face to face teaching in the coming weeks and months.

MTA NSW has put together a checklist to help you get prepared.

Studio Planning
• Register as a CovidSafe business.
• Complete your CovidSafe plan.
• Ensure your CovidSafe plan is up to date. New criteria for ventilation, cleaning, and record keeping have recently been added and must be considered. Check that your plan is based on the latest advice and guidance.
• Print your CovidSafe plan and keep it handy. It must be available for inspection if required.

NSW State Government CovidSafe Business registration & planning tool here:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe

Studio Considerations
• Ensure adequate physical distancing between teacher and student. How many persons are you able to safely accommodate in your studio at any one time in relation to persons/square metre?
• Limit interactions between students/parents/families. Is your waiting area appropriate? Are people congregating on your premises?
• Think about ventilation. Can you create a cross breeze with opened doors and windows? What will you do if the weather is unfavourable? Do you have a fan? What about an air purifier?
• Is there adequate hygiene and cleaning product available? Is hand sanitiser readily available? Are your supplies ready for cleaning of instruments between students?

Personal & Student Health and Safety
• Masks remain a requirement for all indoor settings. Have you communicated with your students that you will require them to wear a mask if over aged 12?
• Have you communicated to students and their families that they must not attend a lesson if feeling unwell, or whilst awaiting the results of a covid test? Is it clear that they must not attend if they are a contact of a covid case, or been asked to quarantine or isolate due to an exposure?
• Have you got a plan in place in case you are identified as a contact and therefore must isolate? Is a return to online learning easily enacted in this scenario?
• Are you fully vaccinated? Not being fully vaccinated may limit your ability to return to face to face teaching.
• Have you communicated your vaccination requirements to your students/parents? Will you delay face to face return for those students not yet fully vaccinated?

MTA NSW strongly encourages that all teachers are fully vaccinated prior to return to face to face teaching.

MTA NSW also encourages teachers to request that eligible students are also fully vaccinated prior to return to face to face teaching.

This reflects current NSW Department of Health and Australian Department of Health guidelines.

MTA NSW takes seriously the health and safety of teachers and their students. As the reopening rolls out, MTA NSW advises everyone to keep up to date with the latest advice to ensure that your studio environment remains a healthy place conducive to good learning.

Australian Federal Government Covid-19 information: https://www.health.gov.au/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19

NSW State Government Public Health Covid-19 Information:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19