We made it to June! There have sure been a lot of ups and downs (sometimes within one hour, haha) but hopefully we are on the upswing and can resume some sense of normalcy as the economy begins to open up again. I hope that you have been doing well during this time.
I’ve missed giving bodywork, I’ve missed connecting with my clients, and I’ve missed being in my lovely space. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Governor Baker’s re-opening plans and updates, as well as the data on how the cases are going for Massachusetts (and New Hampshire, since we are neighbors). Currently massage is slated for Phase 2, which could start as early as June 8th; yesterday it was announced that massage would “not (be) at the outset of Phase 2” due to close contact so I am guessing that we are looking at closer to the end of June/beginning of July to re-open.
As you can imagine, because we are usually practicing for 60-90 minutes with each person, not to mention the intake/exit, and because the virus can be spread via droplets/respiration, there is concern about how much both you as the client and myself as the therapist are exposed. There are also concerns about the clotting issue that some COVID patients have been experiencing, and massage can exacerbate that type of situation https://www.abmp.com/updates/blog-posts/covid-19-related-coagulopathy. So I am proceeding with extreme caution, and have been staying up-to-date via our industry as well as a few professional groups on Facebook, including one that is country-wide, which allows me to also see how it’s going for massage therapy in other states that have already opened.
My biggest concern is the safety of my clients. I know some of my clients are in the higher-risk group, and/or immunocompromised. In my own household, I have both a higher-risk person (due to his age) and my son is immunocompromised, so I am also concerned about keeping myself safe. I understand that people can be asymptomatic carriers and therefore not know that they have the virus.
I will be spending this month preparing the office for easier disinfection (especially of high-touch surfaces), obtaining PPE (which is in limited/delayed supply), and preparing a brief intake form for each visit to ensure that you are feeling well and have not exposed yourself (to your knowledge) to someone with COVID. The landlord will disinfect high-touch surfaces within our building (e.g. door handles, light switches, railings, elevator buttons, etc.) and will continue to completely disinfect the bathrooms daily. I am happy to discuss your particular situation if you have any questions.
I will keep you posted as the governor gives us updates on the phases of re-opening, and feel free to reach out if you have questions or just want to catch up. Thank you and stay healthy!
Melissa