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HARDEEP SAHOTA (Peace Arch News)

February 7, 2022

Hardeep Singh Sahota, the director of Royal Academy of Punjab, said the provincial government should be guiding the schools in how to create their COVID-19 safety plans.

“We are not Fraser Health. We are a normal school. We don’t work with the doctors. I’m not a nurse, I’m not a doctor. They’re the ones who need to actually guide us,” said Sahota, adding that the studios can’t keep going back and forth.

“It’s becoming a big mess for every school. It’s not only our school - it’s every school. How long are the kids going to learn online? It’s been six to eight months now that people have been trying to teach online and kids are losing focus. Sooner or later, they’re going to say they don’t want to do that activity.”

He said Royal Academy of Punjab “might be able to survive for another one to three years,” based on the way the studio is set up, but he added he’s heard of studios that have shut down permanently since the pandemic started.

“Competitions happen once or twice per year in Vancouver — I’m just talking about the bhangra competitions. They didn’t happen this year. So when it’s supposed to happen next year, are people actually going to have the teams? No, because kids are gone. It’s done, there are no teams to compete.”

Sahota provided the Now-Leader with its five-page, double-sided COVID-19 health and safety plan, which includes protocols for students arriving at the studio, exiting the studio and dancing in the studio. It also includes the studio’s contact tracing measures and photos of how the studio is now set up to ensure distance between dancers.

However, Sahota said he has yet to find out if the school plan has been approved, or even accepted.

In an emailed statement from the Ministry of Health, it states that indoor group physical activities “can only resume when the business has updated their COVID-19 safety plan and received plan approval from their local Medical Health Officer.”

Revised plans, the statement adds, are to be submitted to the businesses’ local health authority, and the “temporary restrictions” will “remain in effect until rescinded as these activities where people are increasing their heart rate are venues where there can be rapid spread of this virus.”

This comes after 38 people from a dance school in Chilliwack tested positive for COVID-19, which then led to exposures in 13 schools earlier in November.

READ ALSO: COVID-19 ‘superspreader’ event at Chilliwack dance academy now up to 36 cases, Nov. 4, 2020

Referring to the cases at the Chilliwack studio, Sahota said the closure was needed there, but added, “Nothing is actually available for us to understand that, OK, this many cases came from dance studios, so we need to shut down because people are not taking precautions."

“Without knowing about Royal Academy of Punjab's protocols, they just said, ‘All the dance studios are to close again."

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COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan
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Royal Academy of Punjab

Covid-19 Health and Safety Plan

Safe Physical Distancing: The dance floor has been marked into safe distance zones whichare at least 2 metres apart or more. Only one person is permitted per marker, and please stayin your marked area.

Hand washing: Please wash your hands or sanitize before your class and after your class.Use the sinks in the washrooms (one person at a time)

Masks: The most recent recommendation from Canada’s public health is that of wearing anon-medical masks or face covering as an additional layer of protection, even when physicaldistancing is active at the studio.

We recommend you wear a mask while attending a class if you are comfortable doing so, but do take it offif you experience dizziness or a shortness of breath while wearing it.

Our Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols: We have implemented enhanced antibacterialand antiviral cleaning and sanitizing protocols for all common areas and surfaces, includingwashrooms, light switches, door handles. etc. This includes increasing the frequency thatthese items are cleaned (number of times per day) as well as the timing (before and afterclasses).

If You Feel Unwell: If you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, chills, a cough, sorethroat, stuffy or runny nose, etc, or if you are in proximity with someone who is ill, please stayhome and DO NOT attend classes (This will be strictly enforced).

Class Times: We are staggering our class start times with a break between classes to allowfor cleaning and sanitization as well as to prevent large groups from congregating in thestudio during class cross over.

Limited contact: Staff and students are asked to please refrain from high fives and hugs forthe time being from public health advisors.

Travel: If you have recently travelled internationally, please stay home, self - isolate yourself,and refrain from attending the classes. Also, if you have travelled across different provinceswith-in Canada, it is mandatory to let us know in advance.

PARENTS: You can help! Please help your children read and understand these guidelines if youdecide to send them for their classes at the studio.We have given the full control to ourparents to make the decision of whether to send the children to the studio or continue theirclasses on ZOOM. We recommend to encourage the students to take safety as a priority andthen learn to keep themselves safe.