Last updated 2022-10-25
PCDC is pleased to have resumed dancing and non-dancing indoor events. During this time of COVID-19, your health and safety continue to be our top priority. PCDC is committed to following the guidelines from the CDC, and State/local government.
During October 2022, PCDC surveyed our members and event attendees to get feedback on our current policy and to discuss possible changes. You can read our PCDC COVID Survey Responses.
PCDC events require proof of full vaccination: two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or a single does of Johnson & Johnson, and at least one booster, if eligible.
PCDC events require attendees always wear a “well-fitted mask” – that is, a mask that fully covers the nose and mouth at all times, is made of multi-ply material (cloth and/or surgical masks, typically together), or is an official N95, KN95, or K94 mask (all without valves). Masks with holes, face-shields, gaiters, single-layer masks and bandanas are not considered well-fitted masks.
PCDC English and Contra events require that attendees acknowledge that close contact with others involves certain risk. Consequently, attendees will be required to sign an events waiver.
Our decision to resume events was based on the following:
Should any of these criteria change, the policy may change as well.
PCDC will use the following data sources to make decisions about safely continuing dances:
Should the integrated county view from the CDC report in the high end of the “medium” category for these counties, the board may decide to suspend dances.
We understand that the Oregon Mask Mandate is no longer in place. Our activities involve close contact with many others while engaging in physical activity. To help keep you safe, PCDC has decided to require masks at indoor events, except when eating or drinking in a designated area away from the dance floor. We will revisit this as we continue to review the infection rates and hospital data provided by the CDC and State.
Organizer | Day | Date | Event | Report |
PCDC | Friday | September 23, 2022 | English | 1 dancer tested positive Saturday, September 24, 12:29p after testing negative before the dance itself. Dancer is experiencing a slight runny nose, and tiredness attributed to jetlag. |
PCDC | Saturday | July 23, 2022 | Contra | 1 dancer developed a sore throat while sleeping and tested positive Sunday, July 24 at 9:30a |
PCDC | Friday | July 22, 2022 | ECD | 1 dancer developed a sort throat while sleeping and tested positive Sunday, July 24 at 9:30a |
PCDC | Saturday | June 25, 2022 | Contra | 1 dancer developed minor symptoms and tested positive on Monday, June 27 1 dancer fell ill on Friday, July 1 and tested positive on July 2, but thinks it may be work releated |
PCDC | Friday | June 24, 2022 | English | 1 dancer’s rapid home test returned a positive on Wednesday, June 29 |
Jigsaw | Saturday | June 18, 2022 | Contra | 1 person tested positive |
Stage Crew | Saturday | June 4, 2022 | Contra | 1 person tested positive |
PCDC | Friday | June 3, 2022 | English | 1 person reported minor symptoms (coughing), tested positive on a home test on June 7 |
Joyride | Wednesday | June 1, 2022 | Contra | 3 persons tested positive |
PCDC | Saturday | April 23, 2022 | Contra | 1 person tested positive 1 person had cold symptoms but tested negative. |
Jigsaw | Saturday | April 16, 202 | Contra | 1 person tested positive |
We suggest viewing these sources for information:
Multnomah County: Guidelines for Get Togethers and Gatherings: https://www.multco.us/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/get-togethers-and-gatherings
Multnomah County Covid-19 (general information): https://www.multco.us/novel-coronavirus-covid-19
CDC Guidelines for Small and Large Gatherings: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/gatherings.html
CDC What’s New & Updated: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/whats-new-all.html (click on “Filter by Topic” dropdown menu and select “Events & Gatherings”)
CDC County Transmission by county data: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
Oregon Health Authority has daily updates on the virus, vaccinations and weekly reports on Breakthrough Infections: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORDHS/bulletins/2f1e853
Oregon’s mask mandates for inside and outside gatherings: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-face-coverings#:~:text=On%20Aug.,physical%20distancing%20is%20not%20possible.&text=Masks%2C%20face%20coverings%20or%20face,required%20in%20all%20indoor%20spaces.
CDSS’ Reentry Resources for Organizers at: https://www.cdss.org/resources/resource-portal/covid-19/reentry-resources-for-organizers.
Here’s information from a discussion with Kimbi Hagen, EdD. Kimbi is an associate professor, in Public Health, at Emery University in Atlanta. She has a focus on vaccines. She is also a long-time contra dancer and dance organizer (excerpted August 15, 2021):
Big sigh. This has been such a hard 18 months for all of us and it is difficult to take on board the fact that it simply isn’t over yet, despite how diligent so many of us have been in following all of the public health guidelines, including getting vaccinated.
The reason that Multnomah County can find itself in the seemingly paradoxical position of having both high rates of vaccination AND high rates of infection is due entirely to the Delta variant, which has been determined to be as contagious as chickenpox.
“As contagious as chickenpox” means that if one person has the Delta variant up to 90% of the people who come into close contact with that person will also become infected.
WHAT DOES “CLOSE CONTACT” MEAN?
AM I AT RISK FOR BEING PART OF THE 90% EVEN IF I AM FULLY VACCINATED?
Yes. Because although the current crop of vaccines seem to be quite good at keeping fully vaccinated people from getting sick, ending up in the hospital, and dying from all the currently known types of SARS-CoV-2 (including the Delta variant), they are not as good at the very much harder job of keeping a vaccinated person from becoming infected — and therefore infectious — in the first place. Particularly from the Delta variant.
BUT ISN’T THERE A WAY TO TELL WHEN PEOPLE ARE CONTAGEOUS?
Not always. Respiratory diseases are famous for making people super infectious while asymptomatic (no sign of illness) or pre-symptomatic (no sign of illness YET). For example, most people who catch flu, chickenpox, or measles out in the community do so from someone who has no idea that they are even sick yet because they are still pre-symptomatic.
So most fully vaccinated dancers will have NO idea that they may be shedding infectious virions of the Delta variant up and down the line with each exhaled breath because: a) they don’t feel sick, b) vaccinated people are not routinely tested, and c) everything in their prior personal experience has taught them that vaccinated = uninfected.
DOES WEARING A MASK HELP?
Yes, a lot! But, in the Delta variant world we have all suddenly found ourselves plunged into, it only helps if everyone — including vaccinated people — wear them while in close contact with other people. And a lot of people find it really difficult to dance hard for more than a short time in masks.
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR MULTNOMAH COUNTY?
Because of the Delta variant, Multnomah County has a large population of fully vaccinated people who have become unwitting, asymptomatic transmitters of COVID-19 to everyone around. Causing your COVID cases to surge.
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR CONTRA DANCING?
Pragmatically, because of the Delta variant it will be very difficult to hold a risk-free contra dance right now, even at vaccinated only events as a single vaccinated person who unknowingly has the Delta variant could unwittingly pass it on to an entire room full of other vaccinated dancers over the course of the evening, for all of the reasons that I described above. Those newly infected dancers could then unwittingly take it home to their children, grandchildren, non-dancing family members, immunocompromised dinner guests, and anyone else who is unvaccinated, under-vaccinated, or even fully vaccinated.
BUT WHAT IF WE ASKED FOR PROOF OF NEGATIVE TEST RESULTS AT THE DOOR?
Testing is super helpful in identifying infectious people but it is not completely protective for Dance because it’s all about the timing. A negative test result from 24 hours ago just means a person’s test results were negative 24 hours ago. It DOESN’T mean they didn’t get infected 23 hours ago or prove that they weren’t infected up to several days ago but had not yet mounted a measurable response by the time the test was conducted. In both scenarios, a person with a negative test result from 24 hours ago may very well still be infected and at risk for passing their infection on to all of their partners, neighbors, shadows, and trail buddies without anyone knowing it.
WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAD COVID AND ARE OVER IT NOW? CAN THEY SAFELY DANCE / PLAY / CALL?
The jury is still out on that. There have been reports from the beginning of the pandemic of people becoming sick more than once, but it seemed to be rare. Delta is so new that the data are still limited on whether people who have had Covid are any more or less susceptible to becoming asymptomatically infected — and infectious — if they run into the Delta variant. Given how rapidly the Delta variant is surging there should start being epidemiological reports about that reasonably soon though. Stay tuned.
IS ENGLISH SAFER THAN CONTRA FOR DANCERS?
Yes, it is safer (albeit not completely safe).
IS ENGLISH SAFER THAN CONTRA FOR MUSICIANS, CALLERS, AND SOUND?
No. Particularly in the case of flute or clarinet players and anyone else who can’t realistically wear a mask while playing/calling. In addition, I have also been hearing from musicians, callers, and sound techs that it is hard on their mental health when they start feeling trapped in place by lines of dancers or people out at the top who stray closer and closer to them and that they experience schizophrenic moments of joy mixed with panic when dancers start cheering (read: exhaling hard) in their direction after a dance, particularly if the dancers are also crowding around them while vocally expressing their enthusiastic appreciation.