COVID Safety

We will be following the Covid Safety Guidelines of our parent organization, the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, outlined below.

PSGW Health & COVID-19 Guidelines

We care deeply about each other’s health and safety. These guidelines explain how we’ll continue to protect our community at PSGW events.

In 2025, our community did a remarkable job: we had no known on-site COVID-19 transmission at any of our camps or retreats, even as other events around us were cancelled or became super-spreader gatherings. Your care, flexibility and cooperation made that possible.

Going forward, we want to continue that record of safety while preserving the PSGW experience we love. We will keep holding most classes, meals and activities outdoors, and we’ll continue to use common-sense public health practices to reduce the risk of infection.

These guidelines apply to all PSGW events and may be updated as conditions and recommendations change, so please review them before each event.

What is required for all participants

1. Pre-event testing

○ On the day the event begins, take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test before traveling to camp.

○ Text or email a photo of your test result (with your name and the date written on the test or in the message) to the event coordinator(s).

○ If you are traveling by air or over a long distance, we strongly encourage an additional test before you start traveling.

2. If you’re sick or test positive before camp

○ If you test positive for COVID-19, or develop possible symptoms (such as cough, sore throat, congestion, headache, fever, body aches), do not come to camp.

○ You may attend only after your symptoms have clearly improved, you are fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication, and you have a negative test on the day the event begins.

○ If you are unsure whether it’s safe to attend, please contact the coordinators to discuss your situation.

3. If you get sick during camp

○ If you develop possible symptoms during an event, you must:

■ Put on a mask right away,

■ Notify the coordinators immediately, and

■ Plan to leave the site as soon as reasonably possible.

○ The participant’s payment will be fully or partially refunded on a prorated basis.

4. Liability waiver

○ All participants must sign a waiver acknowledging the inherent risk of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in group settings, and releasing PSGW, its Board members and its contractors from legal liability if they contract COVID-19 or other illnesses.

5. Leaving and returning to the site

○ If you spend time off-site during an event (for example, to go into

town), you agree to:

■ Wear a mask in indoor public spaces and crowded settings, and

■ Minimize close contact with non-participants as much as possible.

What we strongly recommend

6. Vaccinations (no longer required, but strongly encouraged)

○ PSGW does not require COVID-19 vaccination to attend our

events.

○ We strongly encourage all participants to stay up to date on medically recommended immunizations (including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV where indicated) to help protect themselves and others.

○ Participants at higher risk — including those over 65 or with certain chronic conditions — should consider getting an additional dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine, as recommended by the CDC, at least two weeks before an event.

Please consult your own healthcare provider about what’s best for

you.

7. The week before camp

○ In the 7 days before any PSGW event, we encourage you to:

■ Avoid crowded indoor gatherings where respiratory illnesses are more likely to spread, or

■ Wear a mask if such settings are unavoidable.

○ This simple step greatly reduces the chance of bringing infection into our shared space.

Many members of our community are at higher risk of severe illness because of age, immune compromise, or chronic health conditions. Thank you for helping protect the most vulnerable among us — and for doing your part tokeep PSGW safe, welcoming, and full of music for everyone