Personnel placement and scheduling

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a primary way to control illness spread was limiting community mobility (sometimes referred to as “lockdowns”).^{Footnote 184} While effective, this greatly affected many workers and organizations in the performing arts.^{Footnote 185}

Layered health & safety measures can help reduce the need for lockdowns,^{Footnote 186} just as gaps in these protections can exclude people from public spaces and in-person participation.^{Footnote 187} A more flexible approach to personnel placement can suit various needs:

• Stay home and self-isolate when sick: Critical to reduce spread of infectious illnesses, and to promote recovery with sufficient rest.^{Footnote 188} Should be supported in sick leave policies and ticket refund/exchange policies
• Smart scheduling: Staggered lunch breaks or entry/exit times, air-cleaning breaks between user groups, before- or after-hours appointments to avoid crowds
• Capacity limits: May be needed for many safety reasons (e.g., fire codes, crowd control); for contagious illnesses, limits can increase the amount of clean air per person, and reduce the odds that someone present is sick. Consider crowding in small spaces (e.g., dressing rooms), as well as audience seating arrangements
• Cohorts, bubbles, or pods: Small groups of people who work together consistently and limit contact with others to reduce illness transmission; sometimes used for film projects, tours, and athletes^{Footnote 189}
• Separate items/areas: Reduce spreading germs or cross-contamination from allergens (e.g., food and drink, makeup hygiene, animal allergies)
• Contact tracing: Track and notify those potentially exposed to an infectious illness (while respecting privacy); in some situations, this may require notifying public health
• Physical distancing: Sometimes referred to as the “six foot rule,” widely used earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, including at performances and events.^{Footnote 190} Research shows that many respiratory-transmitted illnesses spread much farther than six feet, especially indoors where germs can build up or linger in the air like smoke, sometimes for hours.^{Footnote 191} Reducing close contact can still provide benefits, including for hazards spread by direct contact (e.g., norovirus, herpes, lice), but should not be relied on to prevent airborne illnesses without other layered protections.^{Footnote 192} Prioritize consent for close onstage contact, involving intimacy coordinators as needed