Covid 19 Statement – 13 March 2020

EDIT - 16/03/2020: Please see latest announcement - URGENT: Makerspace Closing due to Covid-19

Original Post:


The South London Makerspace Directors have been in close contact over the last few days to try and formulate plans for our response to potential Covid 19 derived issues.

Covid 19 is a new type of virus so is unpredictable, we are taking advice both from NHS England and World Health Organisation (WHO). We are also receiving advice from the City of London response committees.

Unfortunately at this time, for an organisation like ours, the advice is unclear and changing hour by hour.

As directors, we have a duty to look at any given situation and to do what we believe at the time is best for the membership.

At this time, our response is as follows :-

This is Your community, please work with us to keep it safe by following the enclosed guidance.

  1. Any member who has been requested to self-isolate due to possible contact with a Covid 19 carrier are requested to stay away from the space until further notice
  2. If you have been in the space in the last 14 days and you are diagnosed with or suspected to have Covid 19 you must inform the directors immediately
  3. No Guests in the space until further notice – Open evenings will be cancelled until further notice
  4. Any member who is showing Any flu or cold like symptoms is requested to stay away from the space until they are given a medical all clear or for 14 days from the end of the illness.
  5. Any member who is immunocompromised, has a family member who is immunocompromised or is under any kind of treatment that may weaken immunity is requested to stay away until further notice – Members who are in regular close contact with older relatives should decide if this includes them.
  6. Organisers of events, evenings and gatherings are requested to stand down these events until further notice
  7. Numbers in the space should be limited so that you can easily stay a good arm’s length apart. This is especially true for the woodshop where people tend to work in close proximity
  8. Hygiene is of upper most importance. Please wash your hands on arrival at the space. Please wash up after yourself, do not share face masks, equipment or cutlery without properly sanitising it
  9. Please keep surfaces clean, wipe down surfaces before and after you use them (including benches and laser external hard surfaces) - there is cleaner at the sinks and plenty of blue roll for this use
  10. The Directors reserve the right, without notice, to close the space for an undetermined amount of time if we are requested to do so by any authority or if we believe the risk becomes too high to safely continue.

Many Thanks for your continued support and please work with us to keep SLMS safe by following the above.

The Directors

Covid19 Statment 13-03-2020-2.pdf (102.4 KB)

4 Likes

Question: Does ‘events, evenings and gatherings’ also include inductions?

or are inductions below a particular headcount still possible to continue?

Good question - I would think its up to the Inductor and the inductee’s if they are comfortable and believe it is safe.
Advice at the minute is proceed with caution. I would be concerned about a Wood Lathe or welding induction where you had to share a mask for instance. Laser inductions less so.

Courty

I’m withdrawing the electronics night until futher notice.

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Thanks for the guidance on this. I may schedule a lathe induction on the basis of no sharing of masks, suitable precautions and possible short notice cancellation.
Ian

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Something to bear in mind: unless you can keep 6ft/2m distance between people for the vast majority of the time (a minute or so closer is likley fine unless you get coughed/sneezed on) then it’s likely that if a non-symptomatic infected member is present for the duration of an induction then everyone attending will be exposed. Current thinking is that it’s highly contageous before any symptoms show, so self isolating due to feeling early signs of illness is not a good protection

The single-use dust masks we now have in the woodshop are not effective at all in containing the virus (they have valves which effectively vent it into the surrounding air)

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If it happens in the UK like in other countries, there won’t be a long notice before the space has to close. It might have to be done the same day than the announcement. It is better to be prepared to that.

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Agreed, just been speaking to friends in France and Spain, both had 24hr notice if that.

The French Makerspace I belong to were told by the mayor on the day that they weren’t opening that evening or until further notice.

Courty

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Please see latest announcement - URGENT: Makerspace Closing due to Covid-19