Dear VIDA Yoga Community,
VIDA’s owners and management have been diligently following the COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak as new developments occur. Holding classes as scheduled over this past weekend, we anticipated an announcement by the CDC for recommendations for business and group gatherings. This announcement came on Sunday 3/15, within a few hours of local public schools declaring that they would close to facilitate social distancing and reduce infection transmission.
In an effort to support the local and national response to COVID-19, and in conjunction with Yoga Alliance, VIDA Hot Yoga made the decision to temporarily suspend operations effective Monday, March 15th. This was a very difficult decision, but it was made, in part, to support government-mandated social distancing and quarantines and also, to allow VIDA management and staff time to deal with the effects of the school closing and associated life-complications.
We took a pause and a deep breath, allowing some time to consider alternatives and form a strategic plan of action to reopen our doors with support of our management and staff. With other businesses and schools closing it was important to us to provide everyone ample time to adjust their personal lives and family requirements outside of their Vida commitments. Time was necessary to consider all of the recommendations in order to make the best decisions for our staff and yoga community.
This measured response, although an inconvenience to some, reflects our commitment to keeping our members and community safe. We hope it will also serve to keep our studio open in the future while also respecting risks associated with COVID-19.
The owners and management of VIDA take this health predicament very seriously and we want to make sound decisions based on reason and science, not emotion and fear, and certainly not out of the desire to keep our doors open regardless of potential consequences. We do not want to continue with operations as usual without taking adequate time to assess the situation and make an informed decision on how to move forward safely.
As with any situation transgressing so many paths, we advise the community to remain calm, stay informed, be prepared, and communicate. Going forward we are relying on the World Health Organization and the CDC for recommendations to guide our decisions. Based on the new CDC recommendations and the current local situation we plan to be open with a revised schedule on Monday, March 23rd as long as the current recommendations do not change in a way that would require us to stay closed.
Vida’s plan of action…
Comprehensive Commercial Deep Cleaning During Closure
- During the suspension of classes a comprehensive commercial deep cleaning will take place at the studio including but not limited to the following:
- Sanitizing the hot room floor and Barre room floor along with mirrors and hand barres
- Sanitizing all blocks, straps, mats, and other studio props
- Commercial deep cleaning of all bathrooms, lobby floors, surfaces, and countertops
- Small repairs that could otherwise cause a disruption in class
- All systems including air handling, heating, humidity, air filtration, and water will be serviced by our commercial contracted company.
Now, let’s get back to Yoga…
VIDA Studio Guidelines While Open During COVID-19 Outbreak
- Class size will be limited to 28 (room capacity 43) participants in order to allow ample room between yogis. Social distancing is effective in preventing virus spread and can be easily instituted in our large studio space.
- Please download the VIDA app and enable push notifications so you will be aware of any last-minute changes to the schedule.
- No hands on assisting until further notice
- No IPad for sign in. We recommend that you download the free VIDA app from the app store or sign on using MindBody. If you don’t have the app you can sign-in via the website or with the front desk staff.
- Regular class schedule with some small changes will resume.
- Please register for classes in advance. During this time of additional precautions, we may be canceling classes that have very few people signed-up in advance. It’s reasonable to assume some people will stay home during this time and some class numbers may drop. It is very helpful from a business standpoint if we know whether or not a class will be adequately attended. We will cancel classes with a
- 12-hour notice if attendance is low.
- 30 minutes will be scheduled between busy evening and weekend classes to allow for advanced cleaning. Please remain outside of the hot room or barre studio until the instructor announces it is time to enter.
- Temporary suspension of all mat rentals
- Temporary suspension of use of studio blocks, straps, and other props. Please feel free to bring your own.
- Temporary suspension of cold cloths at savasana
- Vida will be adding additional staff support during peak hours to assist with advanced cleaning
- At the end of class promptly clean your area and exit the hot room so that advanced cleaning can take place for the following class
What Can You Do For VIDA
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid contact with people who are sick
- Stay home if you have a fever, cough, or any flu/cold-like symptoms
- Cover all coughs and sneezes
- Sign up for class in advance
- Clean your space, mat, blocks, and props promptly and thoroughly at the end of class with commercial cleaner
This is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. However, we at Vida do believe at this point we can safely reopen and operate inside these parameters. This situation is evolving locally and nationally and may require further change or suspension of operations. We will continue to stay informed and relay information in a timely manner. The most up-to-date information can be found on this web page dedicated to this situation.