The Special Communicator on Wednesday, May 20 introduced how we were re-opening our indoor venues and activities and provided specific details for activities related to Fitness and Lifestyle. This Communicator will address in more detail how we plan to open the rest of the indoor venues and activities in our community.
Preparing guidelines for re-opening indoor venues is a far more complex process than re-opening outdoor facilities and activities. Obviously, we are indoors and in confined spaces. The cleanliness of room furniture has to be considered and addressed. Rooms and activities have to be scheduled, some sequenced in smaller groups and monitored. There is increased exposure to our building monitors, cleaning staff, office staff and resident participants. We must train and protect the staff in this new environment, as most are residents. There is a great deal of conflicting and only summary level guidance being provided which makes development of Sun City Texas guidelines more difficult. Every advisory we receive from the authorities comes with the warning that “individuals aged 65 or older are at a higher risk of COVID-19." That is a lot of information to consider, interpret and place into our re-opening guidelines.
Summary
The document linked to this article and its related “phased occupancy chart” details how we propose to re-open our other indoor (and some outdoor) spaces. The document has been approved by the Board, but it must be considered a work-in-progress. As we enter into the early phases of re-opening we will learn things that we did not consider, that make more sense or will be more practical. This document (and chart) will be adapted and revised as often as needed to address necessary changes. Queries and questions regarding modifications to this guideline should be directed to the CA Board and Staff.
Sun City Texas activity buildings have two distinct components. Some have rooms and spaces with a “single point of entry” and others have a “common entry” to multiple rooms and spaces. The single entry buildings will be opened first and will require a club or group to monitor social distancing and sanitizing. A short period later the buildings with a common entry will be re-opened, with some sooner than others. For example, the Activity Center will likely be opened before the other common entry buildings because of its smaller size and its multiple uses. Buildings in the “common entrance” category would be the Cowan Creek Amenity Center, the Sun City Ballroom/Social Center area, the Activity Center and the Retreat Activity Center. Buildings that have a single entry to their spaces would be the Crafts Center (Fabric and Fiber, Creative Clay and China, Stained Glass), Visual Arts, Billiards, Woodshop and the Oaks.
Re-opening of these venues and spaces is expected to begin mid-June.
Notification of re-openings, phases and hours of operation will be announced weekly in the CA Communicator.
Some Specifics and Expectations
When entering and exiting any of these spaces, residents will be expected to sanitize their hands. Hand sanitizer stations will be provided at these locations.
During indoor Phase 1 and Phase 2 re-opening, masks (face coverings) will be required.
Monitors in the common entry buildings will manage the scheduled entry and exit of the various sessions or visits and the wearing of masks if applicable.
Re-opening of these indoor venues, and the few outdoor spaces identified, will follow a phased transition allowing more and more people to participate as we receive more re-opening direction from our governing authorities.
Re-openings in Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be focused on “activities” as opposed to “meetings." Activities would be things like table tennis, visual arts, crafts, library access, computer training and repair, billiards, the Woodshop, language classes, small rehearsal groups and the like.
Phase 3 is when this guideline targets the opening of rooms and larger spaces to social activities like dancing, bigger rehearsals groups, and for club, group, neighborhood, organization and committee meetings or social gatherings.
Rooms and spaces would need to be scheduled and reserved as before, through the Event Services/Room Scheduling Supervisor – Cindy Marsac.
Sequencing work periods or multiple sessions may need to be considered in some cases to keep gatherings smaller, yet allow more participation in an activity.
There are some activities, most notably card and table games, that we are not sure how to restart under the current conditions and we call upon these groups to offer their insight and suggestions.
The Woodshop has a unique set of equipment, work spaces and movement between these areas. They are preparing a stand-alone guideline for reopening Woodshop activities that will be approved by the Board.
Each group will prepare a document that outlines its specific or unique set of directions for its members. This document will address details like the following:
- The method it will use to assign time slots and participation.
- How it will sanitize surfaces used before/after each participant.
- How the room(s) will be used and/or set up.
- A method to identify who attended, date and session.
The group’s “directions” document will be sent to the Chartered Club Committee for its review, comment and its authorization to release the document and its directions to its members.
We are purposely taking a slow and deliberate transitional path. We have been and will be criticized for this approach. With inconsistent direction from our governing authorities, little-to-no details to go by from these authorities and very little from other developments similar to ours to guide us, it is prudent that we continue to proceed this way. This approach, once things are back to “normal” and with 20/20 hindsight, will tell us we either did too much or not enough – we can live with doing too much!
Social distancing and hand sanitizing are considered by the Board and Staff to be the primary components in stopping the spread of this virus. These practices are however an individual responsibility for your protection and that of others. Participation in any indoor activity, particularly during these uncertain times, is a personal choice and is done so at your own risk.
