Dear CMAA Members, Friends and Family,
As I am sure you are well aware the Coronavirus, COVID-19, has made its way around the world and now has confirmed cases in the Albany area. The likelihood is that the virus will continue to spread and is here to stay. It is important at this time to be fully cognizant of its presence, and take all measures possible to limit its spread and keep our community healthy!
In emergency situations, usually weather related, CMAA’s policy is to follow that of the North Colonie School District. Last night (March 12th), North Colonie announced:
“We have made the decision that tomorrow, Friday, March 13 will be a Superintendent’s Conference Day and there will be no school for students. We will be using this day to develop a collection of online resources in the event that the district or a school needs to close for a period of time. As of right now, there are no plans to close the district or a school.”
At this point, CMAA will remain OPEN (today and going forward) and operate on our regular scheduler. However, we will use time this weekend to develop an online strategy should this be required.
CMAA will be following the situation closely and will take the necessary steps to keep our community healthy by continuing to provide martial arts instruction in the most safe and responsible way. CMAA will be taking additional steps to keep our members healthy:
1. Increase the frequency of cleaning at CMAA. CMAA will use disinfectant cleaner on surfaces where hand contact is most common, wiping down door knobs, handles, faucets, and toilet operating arms.
2. We will ask students to sanitize (wash or use sanitizer) their hands upon entering and leaving the facility.
3. We will ask our students/staff to not attend should they be not feeling well, or have a fever or other symptoms that may indicate illness.
4. We will avoid all physical contact (games/training). One of the greatest benefits of our style of marital arts is that we emphasize individual routines. I am confident we can continue to teach our students while maintaining our space and avoiding physical contact with one another.
5. CMAA has a shipment of masks due to arrive shortly. Once available students who attend may request to wear a mask.
Should the situation require it, we will also look to change our schedule to provide both in class and online training. For example we might upload a daily training routine to YouTube. Students can follow along at home any time, or login to a video chat app at specific times to follow along and receive corrections and feedback. We will have more information about this as we take the time to develop a strategy over the weekend.
Lastly, we thank you in advance for your cooperation! We do not want you to panic and welcome you to class. Stay tuned for updates as things develop. As a small business, we appreciate your support and understanding during this time.
Best-
Shifu Lucas
