We continue to follow the evolving guidance from Multnomah county, the CDC, and the OHA as it is released. We will post updates to our policies, when they occur, on this page.
Updated August 4, 2022:
We will continue to require all students and staff to wear a non-woven surgical, KN95, KF94, or N95 face mask inside the Echo Theater until further notice. We will continuously evaluate our local COVID-19 numbers, and update our policies when we feel it is safe to do so. All students and families will be contacted when changes are made.
Our vaccine requirement now applies to students of all ages. A negative COVID test will be permitted as a substitute for proof of vaccination in most cases. Please email us to discuss exceptions to our vaccination requirement.
We remain dedicated to our commitment of keeping the health and safety of all our students, staff, and audience members at the forefront.
All the best,
Echo Theater Company
hello@echotheaterpdx.org
Although classes will look different than in previous years, ETC is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety, while also providing the fabulous programming that you have come to expect.
The following are ETC’s procedures and protocols, developed in response to COVID-19:
Overview:
Echo Theater Company is following health and safety guidelines closely, creating COVID specific safety protocols and cleaning procedures, and adapting our class offerings and curriculum accordingly.
- All ETC staff members are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- Each student will complete a health screening and have their temperature taken, and wash or sanitize hands before each class.
- All students/guest ages 5+ will be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter the building (please see the section below on Vaccine Requirements for more details).
- Audience members for all indoor performances will be required to provide proof of vaccination.
- Our current maximum capacity for classes is 18 students. Each class is capped as follows:
- Baby Circus: 10 children (with 1 parent each)
- Ages 4 – 6: 12 students
- Ages 6 – 12: 16 students
- Teen Mixed Aerial: 16 students
- Aerial Silks: 8 students in each cohort (16 students in the room)
- Adult classes: 16 students (or 2 cohorts of 8 students/16 total students in the room)
- Youth camps: 18 students (or 3 cohorts of 6 students)
- All teachers and students ages 4+ will be required to wear, at minimum, a non-woven surgical mask when inside the Echo Theater. Double masking or wearing a properly fitted N95 or KN95 mask is recommended. Masks will be provided if needed, subject to availability. (See more under the “Masks” section.)
- Students and staff will remain at least 3 feet apart whenever possible.
- ETC staff will disinfect all mats daily, practice good hand hygiene, and clean all surfaces and equipment once a week.
- ETC asks any students or staff to stay home if they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to COVID-19, following CDC guidelines. ETC will send any students or staff who are ill home.
- ETC will keep a log of students and staff and participate in contact tracing if needed.
- If it becomes clear that classes cannot take place safely, we will cancel as necessary and contact all registered students.
Health Screening:
In an effort to minimize illness in our school, we ask that you PLEASE CHECK ON THE HEALTH OF YOUR STUDENT DAILY, BEGINNING 14 DAYS PRIOR TO CLASS AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE END OF THE TERM OR CAMP. The best classes start with healthy students and this begins at home.
In order to participate in class, families must submit a form indicating the student or guardian will complete this health screening daily for the duration of the term to the best of our ability. In addition, we will do a verbal screening and take the temperature of each student at check in before each class.
Please review the screening below.
- Have you had a cough?
- Have you had a fever?
- Have you had shortness of breath?
- Have you experienced a new loss of taste or smell?
- Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days?
- Have you been in close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 10 days?
If you can answer “yes” to any of the questions above, please see our quarantine guidelines and contact us to reschedule your class.
Vaccine Requirements:
The safety of our community is very important to us.
- All students/guests are required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to enter the building (PCC students and PPS Summer Outreach Campers will continue following PCC & PPS protocols respectively).
- Students/guests who have recently become eligible for the vaccine will need to provide proof of being fully vaccinated within 4 months of becoming eligible.
- To submit proof, upload your vaccine card(s) to your account prior to registration or email them to hello@echotheaterpdx.org.
- A negative COVID test will be permitted as a substitute for proof of vaccination in most cases. Please email us to discuss exceptions to our vaccination requirement.
If you have questions, please contact us.
Quarantine Guidelines:
In response to Multnomah County Health Department’s new guidelines, we have updated the quarantine guidance. Due to the nature of our classes and our unique staffing requirements, our quarantine guidelines are a bit more strict than those of Portland Public Schools. Please read the following carefully and let us know if you have questions.
If an ETC student in your family tests positive for, or develops symptoms of, COVID-19:
- Please email hello@echotheaterpdx.org ASAP to let us know.
- Stay home and do not attend class for at least 5 days. Day 1 is the first day following a positive test or the development of symptoms.
- After 5 days, students may attend class if they meet ALL of the following conditions:
- They have had no fever for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medicines
- They have only mild symptoms that are improving.
- They have tested negative COVID-19 using an antigen test.
- They are fully vaccinated.
- If the student cannot meet any of the above conditions, please do not attend class for 10 days. Regardless of testing, continue to carefully mask around others and monitor for symptoms for the entire 10 days. If your symptoms worsen or you have a fever, please do not come to class.
Close contact:
If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are up to date on your vaccinations and symptom-free, you do not need to stay home.
- Please monitor your symptoms closely and stay home if any symptoms emerge.
- Test for COVID-19 5 days after first exposure. If possible, test on both day 5 and day 6 to compensate for a possible false negative or late onset of illness.
- If you are not up-to-date on your COVID vaccinations, please stay home from class for 5 days. If you are symptom free and test negative after 5 days, you may return to class.
- Reminder: In a general public setting, “exposed” (also called close contact) means spending at least 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of someone over the course of a day (with or without a mask).
COVID symptoms:
If you have symptoms of COVID that are not from another known cause (allergies, etc), please stay home. Symptoms include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.
If you have questions, please contact us.
Drop-off Instructions:
- Students and parents will line up outside on the sidewalk and wait to be invited in by ETC staff.
- At check-in we will take the student’s temperature, make sure we have your forms in order and ask a few questions about your health during the last 10 days. We will also touch base about the pick up plan and answer any questions you may have.
- We are asking parents to say their goodbyes at the front door of the theater. If this does not work for your family, we will allow parents to enter the theater as needed.
- Students will wash or sanitize their hands before entering the class space.
- We ask families to respect social distancing when coming and going.
Pick up Instructions:
- At pick up, parents will line up to receive their student just outside the theater doors.
- When each parent reaches the front of the line, we will bring your student out to you.
- We ask families to respect social distancing when coming and going.
Spotting:
- Teachers will keep hands-on spotting to a minimum. Safety is our primary concern. If a student is at risk of injury, our teachers will assist them as needed.
- Teachers will take the following precautions to reduce spotting: increased instruction on the ground, use of demonstrations and visual aids, and aerial equipment hung at a lower height.
Masks:
- All ETC staff will wear masks when interacting with students.
- All teachers and all students aged 4+ are required to wear masks during class. We strongly recommend that all students over the age of 2 also wear masks.
- ETC requires that this mask be, at minimum, a well-fitting non-woven mask (such as as surgical mask). We recommend the additional protection of double masking or wearing a properly fitted N95 or KN95 mask. Please see below for examples of masks that will not be accepted.
- If you need an appropriate mask, ETC will supply you with one at the door (subject to availability), we carry child size and adult size.
- Masks can be removed momentarily for water breaks. During water breaks, students will remain at least 6 feet from others.
- Examples of masks that will not be accepted: cloth masks worn without a surgical mask underneath, neck gaiters or bandanas, masks with 1-way valves allowing exhalations to escape unfiltered, face shields worn without a surgical mask, etc.
Food & Water for Classes:
- Students and staff will NOT eat in the theater space.
- Students and staff will bring their own water bottle.
- Students are welcome to fill their water bottle at our water cooler.
- Students will only drink water when at least 6 feet away from other students, and replace their mask immediately once finished.
Food & Water for CAMP:
- Please pack the following each camp day: 2 snacks, 1 bagged lunch, and a water bottle with the student’s name
- PLEASE NOTIFY THE OFFICE of any allergies that we need to be aware of and any actions we should take regarding them.
- Students must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating.
- Snacks will not be shared, except within family units.
- Snacks and lunch will be eaten outside whenever possible.
- Hands will be washed after snack and before re-entering the theater.
Cleaning Protocols:
- ETC staff will disinfect mats daily.
- For more detailed information about our cleaning procedures, please email Hello[at]echotheaterpdx.org to receive a copy of our “COVID- 19 Cleaning Protocols” document.
Ventilation:
The Echo Theater is ventilated with a brand new AccuClean Electronic Air Cleaning System, installed September 2020. This system moves air through a collection of ducts that serve the lobby and theater space. These ducts draw air back to the system, where it passes through an electrostatic filter and is cleaned before returning to the opposite side of the room. The furnace, ducts, and filter are all regularly maintained, cleaned, or replaced in accordance with health standards and performance guidelines.
Additionally, we have fans in the ceiling that move air through roof dormers, whirligigs in the roof that vent heated air through the ceiling, and air purifiers on each side of the theater space. Weather permitting we will have our front doors and back window open for increased circulation, along with floor fans that push air outside.
Cancellations:
If ETC chooses to cancel a class for reasons related to COVID-19 or associated mandated closures, you will receive the choice of a full refund or a full class credit. If your child or a family member is ill or you are concerned about COVID – 19, you may cancel your registration and receive a full credit to your ETC account at any time. Unfortunately, we can NOT offer refunds once classes have begun. To view our complete cancellation policy please click this link.
Communicable Disease Plan:
ETC has a communicable disease plan that outlines the steps that must be taken in the event that there is a case of COVID-19 or any other communicable disease in class.
