Yesterday, the San Francisco Department of Health issued a revision to the standing health order; you can read the complete health order here. Circus Center is already a 100% masked facility with vaccination required for everyone age 12 and older, and the revision has no immediate impact on how we operate – including our ability to be open at all.

The definition of “fully vaccinated,” however, is evolving to encompass getting a booster shot, and as a business, we are “strongly urged” to begin requiring this of our patrons and staff. The government has not put a timeline in place for our business type yet, but we believe in science, so we’re going to get started now:

1. We strongly encourage you to get your booster shot, if you have not already. It is proven to improve the vaccines’ effectiveness.
2. If you have already gotten your booster shot, we say yay! And we invite you to show us your updated vaccination card (photo is fine) at the Front Desk, or you are welcome to email the photo to info@circuscenter.org.

San Francisco’s full vaccination rate is above 80%. We are beating this, and if we all keep at it, we can stay open and together safely.

Many of you may be feeling some trepidation about returning to group activities due to the current state of COVID.  Below is a reminder of our safety policies, additional steps we are taking, and recommendations for increased precautions.  

We understand that even these steps may not feel like enough for some students, and we understand and respect those feelings. If you are a...

• Session-enrolled student, you already receive one free drop-in credit with each session enrollment. In addition to this, through the month of January, if you need to cancel for health reasons, we will offer you a class credit. Credits will be good through the end of the Winter Session, and need to be claimed by contacting the Front Desk at info@circuscenter.org within one week of the absence.
• Drop-in student, you can always cancel more than 24 hours in advance with no penalty, and if you need to late cancel (i.e., less then 24 hours before class) for health reasons, you can do so without penalty. Again, you just need to contact the Front Desk at info@circuscenter.org within one week of your absence to reclaim your credit.

Circus Center follows the current health orders of San Francisco.  We fall under the category of Youth Programs AND Fitness Centers. The current policies are summarized as follows:

• All students 12 and older must be fully vaccinated in order to train at Circus Center.  The SF Health Department has indicated this requirement will extend to all children eligible for vaccines soon, but we don't have a concrete order yet.
• Masks must be worn at all times while inside Circus Center.
• If you test positive for or have been exposed to COVID, please let us know immediately so that we can alert others that might have come in contact with you.  Please email covid@circuscenter.org.
• Students MUST follow the current guidelines regarding quarantining if they experience symptoms or are exposed to someone who tested positive. A summary of these guidelines can be found here: https://www.sfdph.org/dph/COVID-19/Isolation-and-Quarantine.asp.

As a staff, we will be taking the following steps to increase safety and reduce transmission at Circus Center:

• We will continue to use air purifiers and ventilate spaces.
• Eating will NOT be allowed in the building at all.
• People are asked to step outside to take breathing and drinking breaks so that masks are kept on constantly indoors.
• Guests should limit their time in the building. We ask that you try not to come inside at all if you don't need to.
• Teachers will be strict about mask usage and evidence of symptoms. Students who are not wearing their masks properly or show evidence of multiple symptoms may be removed from participating.

Here are some recommendations that we hope people in our community will follow in order to keep everyone safe:

• We encourage everyone to get a COVID test before returning to teaching or training. We know that tests can be difficult to procure, so we cannot make this a requirement.
• If you have been traveling, we recommend that you follow the CDC's guidelines for travel. The CDC recommends monitoring symptoms for vaccinated people and isolating and testing for non-vaccinated. You can find these guidelines here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html.

We hope you are all well, and we look forward to seeing you soon!