I can see the point about polling not being necessary or beneficial at this
juncture. Honestly, the main reason I recommended it was to just buy us some
time to process this decision a bit more, especially in light of the
information Jimmy shared and the massive increase in cases that Warren just
mentioned.
I talked with a good friend who works full time at a hospital in Austin (not
the same one I’m at). He genuinely thought I was joking when I told him about
the plans to start this Tuesday. That’s why I’m concerned about this. Along
with:
-Short-staffing due to RNs, PTs, techs, etc having left the field over the past
year
-Short-staffing due to COVID+ personnel
-Even if a patient is hospitalized for say, a broken bone, and they are found
to be asymptomatic COVID, the staff still have to take extraordinary caution to
not spread it to their next pt.
-Omicron is spreading so rapidly that there is a good chance (not a guarantee,
but a good chance) that this wave will burn out more quickly than others,
meaning that postponing wouldn’t be a months long delay like it’s been for us
in the past.
-***No one is more tired of this damn pandemic than hospital staff.***
I’m not sharing this to guilt trip anyone. It’d just feel shady(?) if I didn’t.
Jessica
On Jan 5, 2022, 8:32 PM -0600, Warren Gill <mymaestro@xxxxxxxxx>, wrote:
First, I agree a poll at this time is not going to change anything, and would
not be helpful in making a decision. For those and other reasons Tom brings,
polling won't work.
Two things changed my outlook, since last night.
1) Advice from a trusted professional (other groups also not rehearsing, and
cases hitting "close to home")
2) A look at the latest stats. 1250 new cases TODAY will probably tip the
scale to move into Stage 5 (another source shows 2,310 new cases but 0
yesterday (hmm)
https://g.co/kgs/obRjzq
https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/39e4f8d4acb0433baae6d15a931fa984
3) My gut feel is this will pass quickly, with the new variant being very
contagious but not loading the hospitals as deeply.
On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 7:51 PM Thomas Hensle <tomhensle@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Team,
My first question is: what has changed since last night? I don't think
that circumstances have shifted significantly since our meeting. We
touched on the possibility of postponement, but no one expressed interest
in it or pushed for further discussion of it that I recall.
I don't really like the idea of another poll. It feels like a punt of
responsibility after we've already discussed and made the decision. If we
really do want to postpone, we can decide to do so without a poll.
Part of our decision was acknowledging that band members are capable of
deciding what risk they will tolerate in the current era of Covid. This
is somewhat of a shift from our earlier pandemic reasons for postponement
when there was less information and no vaccines and/or boosters. Would a
poll save us a wasted hour if only 12 people show up next Tuesday? Yes.
But is that really a wasted hour at this point, given the framework for
how we came to our decision last night?
I do think we should be flexible enough as a board to change our
collective mind and re-vote on a decision we made if the need arises
and/or we get new information. My opinion is that we do not need to in
this case.
We should continue this discussion relatively quickly so that we can
inform the band of what is to come.
Thanks,
Tom
On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 6:21 PM Marc Frazier <marcdfrazier@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Polling wouldn’t hurt anything.
Short delays might be easier for everyone to stomach than on
again-off again.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2022, at 5:12 PM, Jessica Johnson
<jessica.a.johnson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I support the idea of polling the membership to see if we should
postpone starting rehearsals for 2-3 weeks.
Jessica
On Jan 5, 2022, 4:48 PM -0600, Caroline Soper
<caroline.m.soper@xxxxxxxxx>, wrote:
I'm thinking it might be best to postpone 2-3 weeks atleast with
the latest surges going on after the holidays. That would give
people additional time to get boosted. There have been a number
of cases at my work place too in the last month. What is our
current plan if Travis county moves to stage 5?
Caroline
On Wed, Jan 5, 2022, 4:17 PM Ellen Knapton <eknapton@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
We could poll members to see who would actually return now vs
postponing a week or two.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2022, at 4:00 PM, Warren Gill
<mymaestro@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Much as I hate second-guessing, a week delay?
On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 2:27 PM James Bigham
<jbigham98@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
*pokes head up out of trenches* "stuffs really on
fire, yo.
Hi gang. Just wanted to give a heads up that things
are grim on the front lines. I've had 3 minions go
down with a case of covid over the last 2 days. Lots,
and I mean lots of tests are coming back positive. As
much as I want to be back and playing again, an
unbiased assessment of the dumpster fire we're in is
necessary. It might behoove the group to postpone.
Alright, back to the trenches. More shells incoming.
Stay safe out there.
Jimmythetuba
On Wed, Jan 5, 2022, 1:59 PM Marc Frazier
<marcdfrazier@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Nicely done.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 5, 2022, at 12:32 PM, Warren Gill
<mymaestro@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The acweboard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx email address does
not accept mail from outside the group.
In fact I sent one to this mail from another
account, and I don't see it in the forum.
On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 10:50 PM Thomas Hensle
<tomhensle@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Let me know if there are changes to be made
or things I missed. Thanks for the notes
Melissa!
Hello Band!
Happy New Year!
The Board voted last night to go ahead as
planned with beginning ACWE's season next
Tuesday the 11th at 7:30 PM. Vaccinations are
currently required to attend rehearsals.
Please read through the points below for all
of the information regarding rehearsals and
the Band's Covid Protocols.
• Vaccinations are currently required to
attend rehearsals. Participants must be
fully vaccinated, by the CDC definition
(currently 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna or 1
dose of J&J). Please bring proof of
vaccination to the first rehearsal you
attend. Once Travis county drops to stage 2
of Covid Alert, proof of vaccination will no
longer be required.
• If you are exposed to someone who tests
positive for Covid, or is showing Covid
symptoms, please do not come to rehearsal for
at least one week.
• Any member who gets Covid agrees to inform
the ACWE board by email
(acweboard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx). The board will
then notify all ACWE members who were at the
previous rehearsal with that band member.
Please wait to return to rehearsals until one
week after symptoms disappear.
• Attendance will be taken at each rehearsal.
Minimum attendance requirements will not be
enforced. Please stay home to be safe as
needed.
• Masks are required in the Covenant Church
building, please wear a mask when outside of
the rehearsal area.
• Brass players, please bring your own cloth
to catch spit each rehearsal.
First rehearsal items to bring:
-proof of vaccination
-mask
-spit cloth for brass players
-your horn
-you!
We hope to make the best of this season while
maintaining a reasonably safe environment for
our friends. Please do not take any risks you
are uncomfortable with. The Board has spent a
lot of time discussing the Band's return to
music in person. We've tried to find the
appropriate balance of risk and reward, and
more than anything we look forward to being
able to play music together again.
Thank you,
Tom
