As at mid March 2020, the Covid-19 virus is pervasive, unavoidable and here to stay. Like other coronaviruses (the ‘common cold’ or ‘flu’) it is widely accepted that the majority of populations will contract the virus at some point in the future.

Based on current statistics, for 99% of people who get catch the virus, it will be unpleasant but not life threatening (the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, said the mortality rate for the illness was 1%, based on information from China).

For people who have preexisting and underlying health issues it could be life threatening. So a vitally important principle to use is if you, or workshop participants live with, care for or have regular contact with people who might be vulnerable for the worst outcomes of the virus, it would be best for all, if you and they do not physically attend workshops.

The following measures will be part of our workshops and trainings until such time as the risks are appreciably lower.

Before a workshop

Clean the bricks
Wash bricks in a sink or bath, at about 40 degrees (warm, but not hot) with mild detergent and 1 tablespoon of bleach for every 5 litres of water. To dry, lay the bricks on a towel, pat the outsides. They will air dry fully in about 2 days.

At the start of a workshop

1. Make everyone responsible for hygiene
Bring cleaning products to the workshop and start the workshop by inviting everyone clean hard surfaces – tables, chairs, door handles, flip chart pens, mobile phones etc.

2. Hand washing breaks
Most workshops have breaks every 1.5 hours. Mandate every participant to go to the bathrooms to wash hands at the start of every break (before eating snacks) and at the end of every break (after eating snacks). Design hand washing practise into workshops.

3. Increasing awareness
Most of us touch our face more than we are aware, you can increase self awareness by asking the group to nominate a word that anyone can call if someone else inadvertently touches their mouth or eye. Use the spirit of playfulness to help increase awareness of unconscious lapses in hygiene.

4. Coughs and sneezes – best caught in tissues!
It is normal for people to cough and sneeze, dust or pollen make healthy people cough or sneeze. Have a ready supply of tissues available and ask people to keep some handy in pockets or sleeves for them to catch coughs and sneezes. Obviously they will wash hands afterwards.

5. Personal bricks
With Individual model building, you might give people their own bricks to use throughtout the workshop. A new Windows Kits or Starter Kit can be used in the whole workshop and there might be no touching of each others models. If you use a pointer – ask people to build and use their own.

6. Shared model building and system models
When groups build shared or system models they will be touching each others bricks. Hand-washing before and after and the other hygiene tips here are good practice.

7. Well ventilated rooms
If you have windows, open them!

After a workshop

Some research suggests the Cover-19 virus can live for up to 72 hours (3 days) on hard surfaces (like bricks). So you might leave packed up bricks for a week before washing them again to look after your own personal wellbeing.

Conclusion

We are living through an unprescidented times with most countries now operating an ‘isolation’ strategy. Most of us are working-from home or isolated. But this will pass and when it does, adopting good hygiene practices like those outlined above will be important in the months and years ahead.