In the last week, both the state and city have issued new health orders, guidance, and directives that impact the possibilities for reopening Circus Center.
Last Friday, Governor Newsom announced a new 4-tier framework for classifying each county's progress in combatting COVID-19, and what activities would be permitted at each tier. An important part of the plan is a mandatory 2-month waiting period between each tier, which means in the best case scenario, each county will spend two months at each tier before being permitted to move to the next tier.
San Francisco County currently is NOT in the worst category, "Widespread," but instead is in the 3rd tier, "Substantial." At this tier, the state permits counties to allow gyms to reopen at 10% capacity. It's not clear right now how "capacity" would be calculated.
With these statewide parameters in place, it is up to each county to decide how to proceed. Counties cannot be more aggressive than the state rules, but they can be more conservative, and this is what is happening so far in San Francisco. On Tuesday, Mayor Breed announced her plan for reopening businesses and activities, and the Department of Public Health issued several new orders and directives. Two categories are most relevant to Circus Center:
- Gyms: Gyms are currently only allowed to operate outdoors (or online, of course). The city is planning to permit gyms to reopen for private lessons and solo training by the end of September, pending continued progress in getting the virus under control.
- After-School Programs: After-school programs are permitted to operate indoors now, with stable cohorts of no more than 14 children each, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing at all times. An important exception is sports and other athletic activities (including the more physically strenuous forms of circus training), which are still required to operate outdoors only.
Executive Director Barry Kendall and the Board of Directors reviewed this information in detail last night (Thursday, September 3), and agreed on the following directions:
- Barry will work with Texas Holly and the rest of the staff to develop an after-school program that focuses on the less strenuous circus skills, including juggling, balance, clowning, and stilts. We aim to start such a program in the next 2-4 weeks.
- Barry and the staff will begin to prepare the space and the staff for potential reopening for private lessons and solo training by the end of the month.
With all of these things, there's a lot we don't know – how it will work, how much it will cost, etc. – and there's a lot we can't control. But we remain committed to two things: serving our community, and keeping our community safe. We look forward to the next step in reopening, and we look forward to working with each of you to achieve both of these goals.