Coronavirus

5/3/23 Update

With thanks to Bob Hasenyager for helping the Board write HackPGH’s new COVID/Health policy. Bob is a Board Member at Akron Makerspace who served for a combined 30+ years as Ohio’s Environmental Health Director and later Deputy Health Commissioner working with the CDC.

We at HackPGH are, for the time being, dropping all of our masking mandate with the following very important caveats, rules, and reasons.

The reason: COVID is no longer the number one killer threat. Mr. Hasenyager and his former colleagues at the CDC agree that COVID is on the same level as other superbugs right now, specifically Influenza A/B, Norovirus, and RSV. All equally affect immunocompromised members but in different ways depending on their respective conditions. Some can kill. Also, influenza A and B have been proven to have long similar term effects to long COVID. So for example, asking for proof of COVID vaccines but not the flu? It doesn’t make sense overall.

That’s the rationale, now onto the important rules which HackPGH is now adopting:

1. If a member is sick with ANYTHING communicable, be it fever, chills, a bad cold, vomiting, diarrhea, etc… They are asked to not come in and not return to the shop until their symptoms are gone. If they show symptoms they may be asked to mark or leave (see Rule 2 below).
   • Exceptions to this will be made for symptoms from allergies, asthma, medication side effects, and chronic health that can be privately communicated to the Board.
2. Masks will provided by HackPGH for free. If a member establishes that someone at the shop is currently sick or symptomatic, has been recently around sick people, or is showing signs of illness, they are required to ask that person to wear a mask or leave. If there’s a disagreement, the Board may be contacted immediately to handle any questions or disputes.
3. We will now be focusing on illness prevention, primarily through hand washing, hand sanitizing, tool and machine sanitization, and, in general, more stringent cleaning standards. We will be installing more hand sanitizers around the shop as well as replenishing all of the cleaning stations. Bathrooms will be stocked with more cleansers, and we’ll be getting volunteers to clean them at least once a week.
   • One of the biggest sources of spreading communicable diseases is through direct contact with items that contain saliva or mucus, so we will be enforcing strict policies to dispose of used tissues, food waste, paper towels, and half-consumed beverages. If you throw out someone else’s used items, wash your hands immediately afterward.

If these rules aren’t followed, we will immediately go back to requiring that all members wear masks at all times. If you see others not following these rules, please remind them that they’re risking bringing back strict masking measures, or contact the Board.

Finally, while Allegheny County is now listed as “Green” (or having very low incidence of COVID cases), if that status changes (rising to Yellow or Red) we will immediately resume masking for all people at all times. When we’ve gone back down to Green the Board will decide within one month when we will go back to not wearing masks.

11/27/22 Update

Our current COVID precautions: No one will be permitted inside with symptoms of a cough/fever/cold/chills. Anyone who is unvaccinated is required to wear a mask at all time. No exceptions.

Coronavirus Policies

Policies and procedures for safety in the time of coronavirus.

• Masks always recommended, but not required for people who are fully vaccinated.
• Respect other members' wishes with regards to their social distancing.
• Wash your hands.
• Scheduling is no longer required for general shop use.
• Clean up before and after yourself.

Bear in mind the goal and rationale here is to remain open as safely as possible. If it becomes apparent that this is not practical, the board will have no choice but to shut down HackPGH shop access.

See also: New Member Orientation

Masks and Social Distancing

Members are recommended to wear masks but not required if they are fully vaccinated. Please maintain appropriate social distance when in the shop.

Members are expected to exercise good judgement and discretion with regard to crowding, social distancing and other reasonable COVID-19 precautions.

Members are expected to respect other members wishes with regards to social distancing and make reasonable accommodations.

Wash Your Hands

Wash your hands when entering the shop, to minimize carrying any contamination into the shop.

Wash your hands after using equipment, in case the person before you didn't clean up properly.

Follow CDC recommendations for washing your hands -- use hot water, plenty of soap, and soap up for at least 20 seconds.

The COVID-19 coronavirus is an RNA payload in a shell made of essentially grease. Hot water and soap will dissolve that shell and the coronavirus will fall apart and "deactivate".

Sanitize Before and After

There are half a dozen cleaning kits located all over the shop. They are small baskets containing spray bottles of sanitizer and paper towels.

Sanitize equipment before using it, in case the person before you didn't clean up properly.

Sanitize equipment after using it, to protect the person after you. Pretend you just committed murder and need to remove all fingerprints and DNA, using the cleaning kits.

Sanitize other stuff too -- remember, HackPGH is a member-driven organization. Generally speaking, sanitize "high touch" areas, like:

• doorknobs
• faucets
• toilet handle
• vending machine
• refrigerator handle