We know everyone has concerns about the spread of COVID-19, so we wanted to take a moment to share how we are keeping both our students and classrooms safe and healthy.
We are monitoring the situation in Marin County specifically, although we know our students travel from all over the Bay Area, the US, and the world to attend our courses.
Status & Recommendations from Marin County
As of March 9th, the county government recommendation is to cancel or postpone gatherings of more than 100 people for the next two weeks (or until new information changes the recommendation). All of our courses are under 100 people, so all courses are proceeding at this time.
Measures We've Taken
- Hotel: We've contacted the Best Western Novato Oaks Inn where we hold our classes, and the hotel has assured us they have routine and heightened measures in place to ensure proper hygiene of public spaces.
- Classroom Set-Up: We have rooms booked that will accommodate more people than the number of people enrolled. If you want to engage in social distancing (3-6 feet between you and other people) as an additional precaution, there will be room to do so.
- Classroom Equipment: We will have disinfectant wipes + hand sanitizer on hand. For microphones, we will have facial tissue and wipes people can use while holding the microphone, plus we will disinfect them regularly throughout the day.
New Live Stream Option As Well As Remote Options
We are going to have a live stream option (via Zoom) available for our courses moving forward. Students will be able to join to hear lecture/discussion. We will also do exercises (to the best of our ability) with a TA on Zoom.
This is new for us, and we may need some time to work out the details to make this run smoothly. But this will be an option for people to stay included and whose circumstances mean they would otherwise not participate at all.
Regardless, we record all classes, and video/audio + handouts & photos of flipcharts are available via course portals after each class weekend. The one exception to this is Money Magic, which will not have a course portal but will have a live stream option. So, no one will miss out on great content and learning.
What You Can Do
While we are proceeding with class and taking precautions in the classroom, we also ask the following of you to contribute to the hygiene and safety of our classroom.
- If you are sick OR at a high-risk for serious illness if you get sick, please do stay home. You can try our live stream option. Also, we promise you will be able to catch-up with class videos and any handouts/manuals/photos of flipcharts via the course portal that is now available for courses (except Money Magic, which will have a live stream option only).
- While in class, please practice heightened hygiene:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are unavailable
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Cover your coughs or sneezes with a tissue - if available - or into your elbow
- Take precautions to manage close contact with other people as needed for your comfort and peace of mind
- Seek consent before offering physical greetings (handshakes, hugs, etc.) and feel free to decline (and accept someone's decline gracefully)
- Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress to keep your immunity strong.
Keeping You Posted
We are receiving daily updates from Marin Health & Human Services, and we will make and communicate adjustments as needed with the health and safety of our community in mind.
While this is a time of great, collective uncertainty, we know that taking care of each other is the way through this. We take great pride that our students and alumni find respite in our classrooms and a level of support that carries on between weekends and our times together that sustain us, and that will continue as we navigate through this.
Wishing you all good things,
NLP Marin