All weekly CDR contras are mask optional until further notice.

At our June 17 Contra planning meeting, we discussed our COVID policy. We had agreed in May tentatively that starting with the last dance in June, all contras would be mask optional, but we would continue to require proof of vaccination and contact tracing information. At the June meeting, we affirmed the May decision. Here are some facts for your consideration.

• Our experiment with alternating weeks of mask policy showed no difference in the number of dancers attending a dance. Each week, there were only a couple of dancers who would only come that week. Most dancers present came regardless of mask policy.
• When we did our COVID policy survey in February, the virus was quite active in the community. Respondents were strongly in favor of continuing to require vaccination while in favor of mask optional dances.
• With the advent of warmer weather this Spring, COVID hospitalization rates have plummeted.
• So far as we know on the contra committee, no other social dance group requires vaccination or masking.

With the end of the Federal public health emergency,

• COVID infection tracking has pretty much fallen apart.
• Few people wear masks in public (grocery stores, gyms, concerts, etc.)
• Masks are optional in medical facilities, even in Emergency Rooms.