Updated 2022-04-16
Motor City Swing remains committed to providing a safe dance environment, even when that means making the difficult decision to cancel events when it is not safe to hold them. The safety of our community has always been and continues to be our top priority. With that in mind and with the recent relaxing of COVID rules and guidelines from the CDC and the state of Michigan, we are returning to in-person dances with additional precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.
Also be sure to read our Safer Spaces Policy and Code of Conduct.
Disclaimer
Unfortunately, we cannot perfectly guarantee everyone’s 100% protection even with these protocols in place, so attendees should be aware that attending is still riskier than staying at home.
Due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, it may be necessary to cancel events on very short notice. MCS reserves the right to cancel any event for safety reasons.
Attendance
If you have been exposed to COVID-19, review the CDC’s guidelines for quarantine and isolation. Do not attend any Motor City Swing event if the CDC guidelines for your situation include any of the following at the time of the event:
- Stay home, isolate, or quarantine
- Wear a mask in public spaces
- Avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19
Knowingly attending a Motor City Swing event if you meet the criteria above will be considered a violation of this policy (see Enforcement below).
Vaccination
You must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 according to the CDC’s definition of “fully vaccinated” in order to attend any MCS event. All attendees must show proof of vaccination in order to enter the event.
If you require a medical exemption, please reach out to the MCS board (although we cannot guarantee that we will be able to make accommodation). There will be no non-medical exemptions.
Contact tracing
All attendees must provide their name, phone number, and (optionally) email address. We will only use this information for contact tracing purposes in the event of a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case at an MCS event or to provide to other swing dance organizations in the event of a violation (see Enforcement below).
Masks
Masks will be optional while dancing but you must bring one with you, and keep it on your person at all times. Based on expert recommendation, we will use a wristband system to indicate comfort level with masks:
- Orange: “please wear a mask if you approach me”
- Green: “I’m fine if you don’t wear a mask around me”
Wristbands will be provided upon event check-in. All attendees must adhere to this system, and wear their mask around anyone who asks them to or who is wearing an orange wristband.
Classes
We’re hoping to start up series classes again in the next few months, but in the meantime we will have our usual drop-in lessons before Second Saturday Swing. As always these will be beginner-friendly, but also a good refresher for the rest of us on all the things we forgot over the past year and a half!
Class participants will be required to rotate partners per our class rules. Anyone who is not comfortable rotating partners can take the class as an observer.
Enforcement
Anyone attempting to circumvent this policy in any way (including, but not limited to: falsely claiming to be vaccinated, presenting false proof of vaccination, providing false contact information for contact tracing, attending an event in violation of the “Attendance” section above, or assisting another person in circumventing this policy) will be immediately and permanently banned from attending Motor City Swing events.
Additionally, the MCS board may inform other dance groups that the offending person violated our safety policies, which may include providing those organizations with their contact information.
We would like to thank Swing It Seattle and Lindy Focus for their detailed, comprehensive COVID-19 policies. Many of our policies are inspired by their documents.
Motor City Swing 