The Prime Minister has set out the four step plan out of lockdown and his ‘road map’ back to something closer to ‘normal’.
As choir leaders, the news continues to be ‘hold tight - keep going’ as we look to schools reopening on Monday 8th March and further relaxations on 29th March, focusing mainly on outdoor activities. Beyond that, we will be keeping a close eye on news from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on how the further relaxations of restrictions might affect choirs and music groups from 12th April, and then 17th May. We are reminded that these relaxations will all be driven by data not dates, so we must continue to do our bit by following Government guidelines as they stand.
This means for now, continuing to work on Zoom or by other means, keeping your choirs together and providing your singers with an outlet for expression and seeing their friends on a regular basis, albeit without being able to hear one another.
The Project Get Singing team continue to work hard to follow the Government every step of the way by keeping informed as to the latest guidance for choirs and sharing it on our ‘One Stop Shop’, and as restrictions start to ease, you will want to be ready to get back in the room, and safely, as soon as you see fit. Bearing in mind that more social mixing will be permitted from the end of March, this might start to pave the way for outdoor singing too.
Many choirs reconvened in Autumn 2020, and for those choirs, a lot of the hard work is done: risk assessments will be in place; Covid secure venues will be identified and ready to contact for bookings; members will be clear on the mitigations you have in place. So do not be daunted by the idea of a return to singing together.
If more research is your thing, you can read the ‘Perform’ study, investigating how aerosols are shared and their role in transmitting coronavirus; you can find out more about how mask wearing impacts the flow of aerosols; or you can read about how aerosols spread through the air.
Lastly, the all important links to national organisations that help to guide us through and interpret guidance as it is put in place. These include Making Music, the Association of British Choral Directors, the Royal Schools of Church Music, the Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Musicians’ Union, and Music Mark for schools.
Everything you need to know can be found at www.mdbrunch.uk/guidance and you can read our ‘Four Steps for Freedom’ outlining the Prime Minister’s ‘cautious road map’ out of Covid-19 restrictions here.
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