Thinking of holding a meeting? Here are some tips from Dr. Dave Hannan on how to hold a safer meeting.
Rotary: Open for Business?
Many Rotary clubs are transitioning from pandemic Zoom to recovery “in person,” or at least hybrid, meetings. Questions remain. What is safe? What is responsible? What is fair to all concerned?
Who among us Rotarians would want to be responsible for transmitting CoVid-19 to another person? Imagine the consequences if a Rotary meeting or event proved to be the epicenter of disease transmission in a community.
Heed the warnings! Don’t defy the health advisories! Those over 65 years old and those with diabetes, obesity, respiratory disease, and immune conditions are at increased risk. Masks and hand sanitizer work.
MASKS should cover both your mouth and your nose completely and fit snugly enough over your nose, around your cheeks, and under your chin so that the front of the mask sucks in toward you when you inhale. Adjust your mask before the meeting and then leave it alone! If you are not comfortable with this, if you feel claustrophobic, if you have that “I can’t breathe” feeling with a mask on, then stay home and practice with it on! You will adapt. If your mask keeps slipping out of position, you’ve got the wrong mask. Do not remove your mask when speaking. Just project your voice more loudly. Do not remove your masks for pictures. Smile with your eyes!
HAND SANITIZER should be readily available at any meeting. Use it before and after touching any common use items at a meeting: tabletops, laptops, keyboards, hand-held microphones, podiums, money, and ticket stubs. These fomites can carry infectious particles for a short period of time. Resist touching your face.
MICROPHONES on a stand are better than the hand-held versions. Project your voice loudly and keep the microphone from contacting your mask.
SOCIAL DISTSANCE of at least 6 feet radius is important, excepting your family. Your family is your household. Your third cousin, once removed, is not family; nor is your daughter-in-law or your nephew, unless you live in the same household.
Stay safe, Rotarians. Live to serve another day!
Dave Hannan
IPDG, District 7120
August 8, 2020