Covid-19 Pandemic Standards
These are my personal boundaries as a performer in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Gahlord Dewald :: 1/8/22 :: Mānoa, Hawai‘i
Performance Safety for Everyone
As I write this the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has sent the Covid-19 case numbers in most places of the United States into a near-vertical ascent. While I’m eager to perform with others and bring new sound to audiences in person, I’m not willing to risk my health or the health of communities.
Music and art are very important. These past couple years have demonstrated this repeatedly. But our health needs to come first.
The standards and quality of community care in handling the pandemic appear to be quite variable from place to place. Some places are doing large indoor shows, others are not doing any shows. Some places check for vaccination records and some do not. Testing capabilities in many places seems to be unavaible or slow enough to be ineffective.
With all of this in mind I’m establishing what my personal standardsPlease note that I mean it when I say these are personal standards; I don't expect anyone else to agree with them unless they want me to perform for them. No shade to others who have different standards. are for live performance. I may revise this page as new variants emerge or circumstances change. But given the lack of uniformity in commitments to keep everyone safe I think it’s worthwhile being upfront and clear about it.
I’m setting my guidelines based on data as reported in the New York Times"Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count" New York Times as they consistently report data for each county daily.
- Venue Policies and Community Engagement I expect all venues in which I perform to encourage vaccination and boosters by requiring them for entry to the show. I expect everyone at the venue, including staff, to wear a mask properly the entire time. If I notice that anyone is being lax about these things I will exit the venue immediately.
- Travel I'm only traveling between counties which have 100 cases per day or fewer. In every location there live wonderful musicians who can perform and now is a great time to find them and employ them.
- 10 cases per day and fewer7 day average, new Covid-19 cases in your county I am willing to perform at well-ventilated indoor events.
- 10-29 cases per day I am willing to perform at well-ventilated indoor events with fewer than 20 people. Well-ventilated larger venues, in which seating is spaced with 6’ or more between audience members, are also a possibility.
- 30-50 cases per day I am willing to perform at an outdoor event with fewer than 30 people in attendance.
- 50+ cases per day I am happy to make a livestream show for you, but I will be unable to perform in person in your county.
- No/Missing Data Locations with no data will be assumed to be above the threshold for safely performing.
Practical outcomes from adopting these standards
There are few things that are obvious here: I probably won’t be playing a ton of shows. I won’t be performing at any bars or restaurants while the coronavirus is spreading.
Using the case count standards outlined above, here are the 2021 dates that I would have been able to perform in a handful of cities:
had fewer than 50 Covid-19 cases per day.
2021 Dates with fewer than 50 cases per day
- Bexar County. TX (San Antonio): Unable to perform 2021, they got closest in June.
- Chittenden County, VT (Burlington): January 1 - January 9, January 23 - March 23, April 12 - September 15, September 22 - November 6.
- Fulton County, GA (Atlanta): May 28 - July 8
- Hennepin County, MN (Minneapolis): June 3 - July 18
- Honolulu County, HI (Honolulu): February 12 - March 24, May 24 - July 14, November 14 - 17, November 26 - December 3
- Orleans Parrish, LA (New Orleans): February 19 - February 21, March 4 - July 13, September 30 - December 12
- San Francisco, CA: March 5 - July 11
- Suffolk County, MA (Boston): May 23 - July 21
- New York City, NY: Unable to perform 2021, they got closest in June.
There are some places with more possibilities for me to perform than others, based on how they have managed the pandemic locally.
Updates and Improvements
I will be updating these standards. For example I will probably introduce some per capita math but haven’t quite determined the best way to do that yet. I do welcome respectful conversation about all of this.