Asheville Music School is committed to keeping its students, teachers, and staff as safe as possible. We are remaining on the safe side of Executive Order 204 and only increasing to 50% capacity, and still requiring masks in public areas. This information was provided by the CDC, and made relative to Asheville Music School by Executive Director Ryan Reardon.
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
- Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
Recommendations for Visiting with Others in Private Settings
Visits or small gatherings likely represent minimal risk to fully vaccinated people. Medium or large-sized gatherings and those including unvaccinated people from multiple households increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Though the risk of disease may be minimal to the fully vaccinated person themselves, they should be mindful of their potential risk of transmitting the virus to others if they become infected, especially if they are visiting with unvaccinated people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 or who have unvaccinated people at increased risk for severe disease in their own households. Fully vaccinated people should not visit or attend a gathering if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status of the other people at the gathering.
Visits between fully vaccinated people
Indoor visits between fully vaccinated people who do not wear masks or physically distance from one another are likely low risk. For example, if you are fully vaccinated, it is likely a low risk for you to invite other fully vaccinated friends to dinner inside your private residence.
AMS: in-person lessons between 2 or more vaccinated people are safe, and AMS will not require masks for this scenario.
Visits between fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated people
Indoor visits between fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated people who do not wear masks or physically distance from one another are likely low risk for the vaccinated people.
Therefore, the level of precautions taken should be determined by the characteristics of the unvaccinated people, who remain unprotected against COVID-19.
AMS: if one person in the lesson is vaccinated, AMS will not require that person to wear a mask. The unvaccinated person or persons can make their own personal decision regarding mask wearing.
Vaccinated people visiting with unvaccinated people from a single household that does not have individuals at risk of severe COVID-19
If the unvaccinated people are from a single household that does not have individuals at risk of severe COVID-19, they can visit with fully vaccinated people indoors, without anyone wearing masks, with a low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID-19.
AMS: If one person in the lesson is vaccinated, AMS will not require that person to wear a mask. The unvaccinated person or persons can make their own personal decision regarding mask wearing.
Vaccinated people visiting with unvaccinated people from a single household that has individuals at risk of severe COVID-19
If any of the unvaccinated people or their household members are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, all attendees should take precautions including wearing a well-fitted mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and visiting outdoors or in a well-ventilated space.
For example, if a fully vaccinated individual visits with an unvaccinated friend who is seventy years old and therefore at risk of severe disease, the visit should take place outdoors, wearing well-fitted masks, and maintaining physical distance (at least 6 feet).
Please communicate with your students and families as to whether or not they, or you, may still be at high risk. If so, please continue wearing masks.
Helpful links regarding COVID vaccines
CDC FAQs https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
CDC Myths and Facts: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html
