Help me weigh up risk!

[PineappleUpsideDownCake]

Hi I'm struggling a bit to weigh up risk.

I think most risk is in being in the same room as someone for a sustained period of time?

If you were someone medium risk (asthma/ME/obesity but 40s) would you attend a course for 2.5 hours one ot two days a week?

Masks are worn in communal areas, but not in the training room. Groups of 8 spaced out but still indoors. Being v hot on cleaning (but fomites a low risk?) but isn't main transmission in sharing a room?

I'm struggling to both make sense of guidance and actual risk. If it was someone healthy and under 50 i dont think Id worry!

Does 2m minimise risk in a shared room? I thought that in some studies it travelled around offices etc or was that just when air conditioning was a factor?

Also are people working in offices wearing masks or just spacing 2m apart?
Are people making appointments to go use the photocpier etc.

Ive not been on a eeal3life work environment for a while and trying to get my head around it.

I have the same dilemma - and I am the person running the courses.

When we did the risk assessments, 2m+ (actually 3+ in most cases) distancing and all the other precautions we put in place around refreshments, toilets, entrances, exits, resources etc. seemed fine. We also kept saying 'And by September things may all look very different'.

Things do look different, but in some waysin the wrong direction - masks in indoor spaces in England, masks now when moving around in secondary schools in Scotland. I am now not happy with our original risk assessment and sent an email last night saying so.

We are absolutely not Covid experts (as none of us in education making these risk assessments are) so we use the guidance provided (for schools, offices and indoor gstheings - a mixture!) and our common sense. At the time we thought we were being over-cautious. Now I am not convinced.

Questions I would ask -

How well-ventilated is the room? Will all windows (and doors?) be open throughout, or are there course membrs who will complain about the draught and shut them?

Wil the course leaders enforce the safety guidance if necessary? Will the other participants take it seriously?

Will there be any refreshments? Or can people take their own? 2 hours usually does include at least water sipping- usually a drinks break - which means no masks then.

What is the Covid prevalence in your area?
Ours is very low currently.

If it is a large airy room and the distancing is 2m+, my (non-expert, personal) risk assesment is that 2hrs would be fine. We, however, are due to be in for the day and the ventilation is not great, which is what is giving me pause for thought.

Vey low prevalence
Taking own drinks. Not sure what will happen in the break.
Course leaders will be great and as you say followong local guidance.
Desks etc wiped after each use.

Its partly the mask news I was wondering about and when i read these boards more it seemed the risk was in being indoors with people.

Windows will be open where possible and reasonably airy rooms. Smaller groups and desk spaces distanced.

I have a real cognitive dissonance that on one hand I'm worried about 6-8 of us in a room wothout a mask and on the other aware that schools will have whole classes passing in the corridor/sharing rooms ....

And yet we're wearing masks in all other indoor spaces. (I've been limiting any indoor time so far and preferring to meet up outdoors!)

Yes, I'm sure it doesn't help my perception that I hadn't been inside anyone else's home untilhalf an hour at my parents last week ( and then I sat right by the open door) and have only been in a supermarket once. I've been minimising the risk for my parents for if I have to step in, which is all very well, but now I need to minimise the risk for younger, healthier people in a work environment, am I being too cautious? Too careless?

Just to give another perspective, I teach in FE, and went in to see the set up last week before classes start. Rooms have been set up so that it is not possible to move furniture closer than a 2M distance, and class sizes have pretty much been halved. I feel like the health and safety team have done everything possible to make the environment safe - one way systems in all the corridors, the place is drowning in hand sanitiser, and masks will be worn in all communal areas.

The window/door thing gives me most anxiety, because the building tends to be very cold anyway, and the windows only open on a tilt for health and safety reasons.

I'm not going to be in full time, because we are continuing with blended learning, and I will bring in my own drinks/snacks on the days I am rather than have to go to the canteen (if it's even open). I think water machines will be available, but only with disposable cups and not to fill up own bottles.

I'm fairly cautious by nature but I would attend the course . It's sounds safe to me x

I do realise that schools and colleges are returning but there appears to be a different level of "safety" applied to them out of necessity for getting children back in the class.

I am aware from this board that some people are v clued up o nthe science behind the transmission so was curious as to what the thoughts are behind transmission - ie does 2m distance mean indoors is safe from the virus? What are other offices doing?

Im sure it will "feel safe" as people say, as precautions are being taken and people "feel safe" in pubs and restaurants etc.

I have avoided indoor spaces though as I am someone at risk and thought the evidence pointed to that being a more likely transmition than touch for example. Hence people wearing masks on public transport?

I hope that makes sense?

Offices - of the ones I know that are open, 2m social distance. Restrictions around use of kitchens (or no use) frequent cleaning, one way routes around office.

Oh, no masks although some wearing by choice

How important is the course to you? I'm not in a dissimilar position to you health wise but I am doing things that are important to me as this is going to continue for a long time.

This sounds safe to me if windows are open and desks are spread apart. If you are worried take your own mask to wear, take sanitiser and your own drinks and snacks. And bacterial wipes for the desk if you really want to.
I think you will be fine, the risks over 2m are tiny. I’d go.. this is the new normal