Dojang Reopens Sunday, April 3

The dojang leadership has set a reopening date of Sunday, April 3. We’ve been closed longer than we’d hoped when we moved classes to an outdoor model in January, but if trends continue, it looks like we’ve reached a meaningful turning point in the pandemic, and it’ll be safe to train inside once again. This decision is based on:

1. New cases in Hampshire County are projected to be less than 20 per 100,000 by late March, per the Mayo Clinic tracker. 10/100K is the most conservative number cited in a recent NPR article about when and where it’s safe to unmask indoors. Note that we are not yet talking about training without a mask in the dojang, and we will still require students to wear a medical grade mask (not a poorly-fitting “surgical” mask) that we provide, at least for the next few weeks.
2. Paxlovid and other antiviral treatments are becoming more available in our community, so those who need them can get highly effective treatment if they contract the disease.
3. Most importantly, our landlord has given us permission to open windows and doors again, as of April, so we can maintain adequate ventilation.

As before, all RVTKD students must be fully vaccinated and boosted to participate in class, and we will continue to require mask use until we’ve had a chance to see if current trends continue for at least a few more weeks. We will provide medical grade KN95 masks and ask students to use one of ours to ensure they’re genuine. There is a suggested donation of $1/mask, and you must wear a brand new mask for every class.

We hope these factors, along with our ongoing rigorous measures to reduce risk of Covid transmission, will make you feel comfortable training with us when we reopen. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask questions at [email protected].