T3 Triple Threat (T3) COVID-19 recognizes that in operating their business, there are risks of exposure to COVID-19 for employees, volunteers, participants, and customers, as it is highly contagious and has a mortality rate greater than the flu. In addition:
• COVID-19 can spread easily and exponentially
• While persons of all ages are at risk for catching COVID-19, individuals with compromised immune systems and the elderly may be at particular risk.
In operating, T3 acknowledges the risks of COVID-19 exposure to its employees, volunteers, participants, and customers and is committed to providing a safe and healthy business environment. To ensure that, the following Business Operation Plan (Plan) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been developed. All staff, employees, and activity leaders are responsible for implementing and complying with all aspects of this Plan to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our operations, and requires full cooperation among staff and management.
Only through this cooperative effort can the safety and health of everyone involved be maintained. T3 Teaching Artists and leadership have full support in enforcing the provisions of this policy.
We are serious about the safety and health of everyone involved. Our Plan follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California Department of Public Health (CDPH), as well as the federal OSHA standards related
to COVID-19, and addresses the following:
1. Infection prevention measures;
2. Prompt identification and isolation of sick persons;
3. Engineering administrative controls for social distancing, including reduced occupancy requirements;
4. Sanitation policies and procedures, including cleaning, disinfecting and decontamination;
5. Communications and training for managers, leaders, and staff necessary to implement the plan
6. Procedures to ensure effective ongoing implementation of the plan.
General Measures
T3 has established and will continue to align with local and State authorities to determine current disease levels and control measures in our community. Additionally, T3 will regularly review updated guidance from state agencies, including the California Department of Public Health.
Promote Healthy Hygiene Practices
T3 will educate staff, volunteers, activity participants, and their families about when they should stay home and when they can return to the theatre and/or its in-person activities. T3 will require staff, volunteers, activity participants, or their family members who are known to be sick or recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 to stay home.
T3 is committed to ensuring adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors, including, but not limited to: soap, tissues and hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol for volunteers, staff, and activity participants who can safely use hand sanitizer. T3 will reinforce the washing of hands, avoiding contact with one’s eyes, nose, and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes among staff, volunteers, and activity participants. All staff, volunteers, and activity participants are required to wash their hands after coughing or sneezing; after being outside; and before and after using the restroom. All staff, volunteers, and activity participants should wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap, rubbing thoroughly after application, and use paper towels (or single-use cloth towels) to dry hands thoroughly. Staff and volunteers should model and practice hand washing. All staff, volunteers, and activity participants should use hand sanitizer (preferably fragrance-free) when hand washing is not practicable. Sanitizer must be rubbed into hands until completely dry. Children under age 9 will use hand sanitizer under adult supervision.
T3 will establish routines that enable staff, volunteers, and activity participants to regularly wash their hands at staggered intervals. T3 will reinforce the use of cloth face coverings for staff, volunteers, activity and participants not on stage. T3 will discourage the touching of face coverings.
Intensify Cleaning, Disinfection, and Ventilation T3 will suspend the use of onsite drinking fountains and instead require the use of reusable water bottles both at the theatre and during any offsite activities. All staff or volunteers will clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at our theatre or other activity locations and on all props and stage equipment as practicable, frequently throughout all activities.
Frequently touched surfaces may include, but are not limited to:
• Door handles
• Light switches
• Sink handles
• Bathroom surfaces
• Tables
• Props
• Backstage Equipment
• Tools
• Costumes
• Makeup brushes
• Accessories
• Countertops
• Lockers
• Cubbies
T3 will use cleaning products that have been approved for use against COVID-19 on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved list “N” and will follow product instructions. Staff or volunteers with the responsibility of cleaning and disinfecting the site or offsite location will be equipped with proper protective equipment, including gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, and other appropriate protective equipment as required by the product instructions. All products will be kept out of children’s reach and stored in a safe space. T3 will establish a cleaning and disinfecting schedule in order to avoid both under- and over-use of cleaning products. When set strike, set build, or cleaning duties are being practiced, T3 will air out the space before volunteers arrive and for the duration of the activity. For example, by opening windows where practicable. T3 will work with the City of San Diego to ensure that air filters and filtration systems are clean and operating at optimal efficiency to ensure optimal air quality.
T3 will provide physical guides, such as tape on floors or sidewalks and signs on walls, to ensure that staff, volunteers, family members, and Activity participants are on stage at least 6 feet apart whenever possible, and will establish “one-way routes” where practicable.
Implementing Distancing
All activity participant contact will be minimized where practicable. Activity participant and volunteer arrival and drop off times will be staggered (classes with over 10 participants)- to avoid crowding at theatre entrances or activity locations. T3 will designate routes for entry and exit, using as many entrances as feasible.
Before reopening box office/ticket sales to the public, T3 will install a clear screen or a 6-foot space at the box office table. Access to the kitchen will be restricted to staff.
T3 will encourage activity participants to maintain separation as much as possible while still maintaining the integrity of the production. T3 will develop instructions for maximizing spacing and ways to minimize movement throughout the theatre that are easy for children to understand and are developmentally appropriate.
T3 will restrict nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups at the same time.
T3 will restrict communal activities and will minimize congregate movement as much as practicable. Activity participants, volunteers, and family members will be asked to leave the activity location promptly after the end of the activity.
Limit Sharing T3 will keep each activity participant’s belongings separate. It will ensure belongings are taken home at the end of each activity to be cleaned and disinfected. It will ensure costumes, sets, and props are cleaned and disinfected prior to and after each use. T3 will strongly encourage activity participants and volunteers to avoid sharing scripts, electronic devices, clothing, toys, books, and other personal items as much as practicable.
Advice All Volunteers and Activity Participants
T3 will advise all volunteers and activity participants in the following safety actions:
• Enhanced sanitation practices
• Physical distancing guidelines and their importance
• Proper use, removal and washing of cloth face coverings.
• Screening practices
• COVID-19 specific exclusion criteria
• T3 Producers, or with regard to an activity without a producer, a member of the Executive Action Committee will be responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. All activity participants, volunteers, and families will be notified of who this person is and how to contact them.
Check for Signs and Symptoms
T3 will train staff and educate volunteers, activity participants, and their families about when they should stay home and when they can return to the theatre. T3 will actively require staff, volunteers and activity participants who are sick or who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 to stay home.
T3 will implement screening procedures for all staff, volunteers, and activity participants before they enter the theatre or any offsite activity location. T3 will conduct visual wellness checks of all persons upon arrival and take their temperatures upon entrance with a no-touch thermometer. T3 will ask all individuals who are entering the theatre about COVID-19 symptoms within the last 24 hours and whether anyone in their home has had COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test.
T3 will document/track incidents of possible exposure and notify staff, volunteers, activity participants, and their families of any positive case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality.
T3 will exclude any staff, volunteer, or activity participant that is showing symptoms of COVID-19. All T3 producers or applicable activity leader should discuss with parent/caregiver and refer to the child’s emergency card to identify if the child has a history of allergies, which would not be a reason to exclude. T3 will monitor staff, volunteers, and activity participants throughout each activity for signs of illness. T3 will perform a temperature check of anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and send home anyone with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.
COVID-19 symptoms:
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
Plan for When Staff, a Volunteer, or Activity Participant Becomes Sick
T3 will separate anyone who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19. Anybody exhibiting symptoms will immediately be required to wear a face-covering and be required to wait in an isolation area until they can be transported home or to a healthcare facility, as soon as practicable.
For serious injury or illness, T3 will call 9-1-1 without delay. T3 will close off areas used by any sick person and will not use before thorough cleaning and disinfection. To reduce the risk of exposure, T3 will wait 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting as recommended by CDC guidelines. If it is not possible to wait 24 hours, T3 will wait as long as practicable to clean and disinfect. BJT will require sick staff, volunteers and activity participants to not return until they have met CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation, including 3 days with no fever, symptoms have improved and 10 days since symptoms first appeared.
Maintain Healthy Operations
T3 will establish and maintain communication systems that allow staff, volunteers, and activity participants to self-report symptoms and receive prompt notifications of exposures and closures while maintaining confidentiality.
Considerations for Partial or Total Closures
T3 will check State and local orders, and health department notices regularly about transmission in the area or closures and adjust operations accordingly. When a staff member, volunteer, or activity participant tests positive for COVID-19 and has exposed others at the theatre or during its activities, T3 will implement the following steps:
• In consultation with the local public health department, T3 will hold an emergency EAC meeting to consider if a closure is warranted and the length of time-based on the risk level within the specific community as determined by the local public health officer.
• Given that the standard guidance for isolation at home is for at least 14 days after close contact, the theatre will typically need to close temporarily as T3 EAC members discuss further action and operations to reopen in a manner that keeps the public health in mind.
• T3 will implement communication plans for theatre closure to include outreach to volunteers, activity participants, and families.
• T3 will maintain regular communications with the local public health department, County and City.
