OAEC’s Response to COVID-19
updated March 16, 2020
We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center are working to make a safe, proactive, and appropriately-scaled response to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Our thoughts go to the communities, both locally and internationally, that have been impacted. Keeping our program participants, guests, residents, volunteers, neighbors, and staff members safe is our highest priority. Below, you will see information about how this will affect our programs in the short term, what we are doing, as well as guidelines (from the CDC) on when to stay home.
Like many challenges of today — climate change, mass extinction, racism, environmental destruction, resource inequity — the coronavirus threat is both personal and collective. On the one hand, we are concerned for ourselves and our families. On the other hand, solutions to challenges like this one come in community. We are proactively taking preventative measures throughout our campus and acknowledging the dynamic and unknown nature of these conditions as they unfold.
OAEC has decided to cancel our Spring PDC course. We will be reaching out individually to those who have enrolled. Garden volunteer day is also cancelled for the remainder of March.
How this affects Rentals and Spring PDC Course
For the months of March and April, OAEC will suspend our cancelation policy for rentals and course participants of the Spring Permaculture Design Course (PDC). Any rental group or PDC participant wishing to reschedule or cancel their registration for a full refund (minus processing fees) may do so by contacting:
- Rental Program: Cooper Freeman, , OAEC Program Manager
- Spring PDC: Jane Brelvi, , OAEC Office Manager
Wednesday Garden Volunteer Days
Effective this Wenesday, March 18th, OAEC will close Garden Volunteer Day until the end of March. Recognizing that the Mother Garden provides a healthy space for connection, beauty and restoration, in the next few weeks as this health crisis unfolds, we hope to assess whether or not we will be able to open our gardens to our valued volunteers again in a way that is adaptive to the situation and safe for all.
What We Are Doing
- Encouraging people to stay home when ill. Adjusting our cancellation policy for courses and rentals.
- Encouraging people to wash their hands frequently, especially before entering the buffet line. Providing alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the site.
- Daily sanitation of doorknobs, light switches, and other commonly-touched surfaces.
When to Stay Home
- We ask you to stay home if you’re feeling sick, especially if you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. Please consult the CDC website for additional recommendations on when to stay home.
- If you are traveling by plane to come to OAEC, we invite you to look at the CDC information for travelers first. Several airlines are adjusting their flight-change fees and penalties to allow more flexibility for travelers impacted by the coronavirus.
You can help stop COVID-19 by knowing the signs and symptoms.
The symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19. Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room.
There are simple things you can do to help keep yourself and others healthy.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, going to the bathroom, and before eating or preparing food. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
