We have spent a lot of time thinking through what is best for our COVID policy this year. We aim to align with our values in this (and every) decision - and this one is especially difficult, because what we really want is for anyone to be able to apply, attend, and exist safely within our community. But with the level of risk and potential for harm right now, we need to continue with a level of precaution.
We are going to require vaccinations and testing prior to travel (and mid-session) for our 2023 session.
We know this decision has real impact on people who are hoping to attend, so we want to be transparent in this decision. Our main aim with this policy is to keep our community as safe as we realistically can during our session. In the spirit of that transparency: after our last session, there were several folks who tested positive for COVID. We do not take this lightly, and a lot of our decision-making is with them in mind. For our last session, we required up-to-date vaccinations and testing before travel. We can’t help but think how much greater the effect of a COVID outbreak would be if our community had included unvaccinated folks. We respect everyone’s bodily autonomy, and their choice to vaccinate or not vaccinate. But we believe that if we are gathering with a group of both vaccinated and unvaccinated folks, there is a greater risk of COVID being brought into our space. We aren’t ready to take this level of risk, and we simply are not resourced to facilitate the level of precaution required to host a community with greater risk (daily testing, isolation required before arrival, etc etc). We did our best to come to a decision with the most vulnerable among us in mind.
We believe that this is the safest way to hold our session this year, but we know this excludes some of you, and we don’t take that lightly. We hope you can empathize with the complexity of this decision we’re sitting in, and know that we hope for a day when all of us can come together. We want to start a conversation about how we can work to include those who cannot attend, and what is possible, within our capacity, to offer to involve folks who cannot attend. Stay tuned for a survey about the potential for off-site involvement in the coming weeks.
Below is our COVID-19 policy for our 2023 session:
Vaccination and testing
All attendees must be vaccinated.
If your vaccinations are up-to-date, we will require a single negative rapid or PCR test before travel.
If your vaccinations are not up-to-date (i.e. you have the primary vaccination but are not up-to-date on boosters), we will require two pre-arrival tests: a negative PCR test taken no earlier than May 4th, and a rapid test taken on arrival at our campus, both supplied by attendee.
The full community will take a rapid test on May 11. All attendees should bring a second rapid test for this purpose.
Mitigating risk
We are not requiring masks, as we are taking other mitigating steps. However, we will supply and encourage the use of masks for:
Folks who feel any kind of symptom.
Class time in smaller or unventilated spaces.
Immunocompromised folks, or those with a lower risk tolerance.
We will be functioning as a pod. This means we are asking for zero contact with anyone outside of the 2023 SotA community, even masked/outdoors.
Limited (not daily) grocery store runs are fine, but we encourage you to use the free curbside pickup available at Ingles.
No indoor private spaces.
If you must be in a public space during the session (bank, etc), mask and limit the time inside to 15 minutes, and alert someone in SotA leadership either before (ideal) or after taking that risk.
If you want to spend time with folks in Black Mountain or Asheville, delay your return trip and have those visits after the session wraps.
We ask that folks move with caution within their capacities starting on April 28. We recognize that folks live with different risk tolerance, and that it is a deep privilege to be able to avoid all risk (WFH, private transportation, etc). That being said, we ask that you consider the collective in the ten days leading up to session, in hopes that we can avoid COVID at SotA 2023. Actions like consistent masking, keeping physical distance from high-risk roommates, and not attending public social events can make a big difference.
Policy compliance
SotA volunteer staff does not have the capacity to mitigate risk for folks with COVID, COVID exposure, or those who break these guidelines. The cost is too great for our community. SotA is not able to cover the cost of private rooms and does not want to police the use of masks or social distancing of potentially exposed persons during the session. We do not feel comfortable placing those burdens on our community.
Anyone who tests positive for COVID will be asked not to attend the session; or, if already arrived, immediately pack their belongings and leave campus.
Anyone who learns of pre-session exposure to COVID that took place on April 28 or later will be asked not to attend the session; or, if already arrived, immediately pack their belongings and leave campus. Exposure is defined by the CDC as close contact:
You were within 6 feet of a person who tested positive for more than 15 minutes total in a day – even outside or masked. This time does not need to be consecutive. Three, 5-minute periods over the course of a day is still close contact.
You had any physical contact with a person who has tested positive.
You had direct contact with the respiratory secretions of a person who has tested positive (i.e., from coughing, sneezing, contact with a dirty tissue, shared drinking glass, food, or other personal items).
You live with or stayed overnight for at least one night in a household with the person who tested positive.
More examples to understand close contact.
Anyone who disregards our pod policy and risks exposure to COVID during the session will be asked to immediately pack their belongings and leave campus.
The name and exposure details of the person who tests positive, has exposure to COVID, or risks exposure to COVID will be shared on the community Slack workspace, and at the earliest possible mealtime. This neutral transparency allows everyone to make the safest choices for themselves.
We recognize that these strict policies will cause a financial and emotional burden on folks who are exposed, but we must mitigate risk to the larger community.
Cost and resources
If you report COVID or exposure ahead of session, and do not arrive on campus, we will reimburse you for 50% of tuition, the remainder of which covers the cost of your room. If you report COVID or exposure midway through the session and have to leave early, we will reimburse you for 25% of tuition.
Available resources: School of the Alternative will have limited additional rapid tests on site if anyone is feeling symptomatic; rapid and PCR tests are available close by at drugstores/Range Urgent Care in Black Mountain. We will have masks and hand sanitizer on site and available for general use.
