PROGRAMMING SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19

Dear Bindlestiff family, friends, and supporters, 

Right now many people are anxious, scared and curious about how the Coronavirus (COVID 19) will affect our everyday lives. As a community arts organization, we have certainly felt the impact of this pandemic, and our sympathies go out to those here and abroad directly affected. We are taking necessary actions to ensure the health and safety of our artists, patrons and staff. In response to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, Bindlestiff has suspended all public gatherings for our remaining programs through April, which include Ramon Abad's Youth Puppetry Workshop, our Restorative Theater Arts for Seniors (ReTAS) Program, and our youth theater arts program. For programming beyond April, we will continually assess the situation to determine if we need to extend our hiatus. 

We are currently exploring ways to continue to engage our community while we implement and promote SF Department of Public Health's recommendations for social distancing, which include:

• Vulnerable populations should limit outings. Vulnerable populations also should not attend large gatherings unless it is essential. Vulnerable populations are people 60 years old and older; and people with health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and weakened immune systems.
• If you can telecommute, you should.
• Avoid people who are sick.
• Non-essential large gatherings should be cancelled or postponed. Do not attend any events or gatherings if you are sick.
• Everyone should avoid health care settings if possible – even if you are not ill.

Individually, we can all do our part to help control the spread of the virus by following these guidelines:

• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a sleeved elbow.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Try alternatives to shaking hands, like an elbow bump or wave.
• If you have recently returned from a country, state or region with ongoing COVID-19 infections, monitor your health and follow the instructions of public health officials.
• There is no recommendation to wear masks at this time to prevent yourself from getting sick.

While many of these measures run counter to common practices within Filipino culture (such as hugging, certain religious rituals, large family gatherings, etc.), the potential severity of the outbreak warrants extreme caution. 

We stress, however, that the outbreak DOES NOT warrant extremism. In this time of high anxiety, we encourage everyone to look out for one another, in particular the elderly, those in need, and targets of racism and xenophobia. Share, don't hoard. Communicate, don't isolate. Prepare, don't panic. Spread love, not germs!

We will continue to monitor SFDPH's recommendations as the days pass in hopes that we can once again gather together to celebrate the arts in our community. 

If you would like more information and updates about COVID 19, visit the Center for Disease Control and Protection at www.cdc.gov and the San Francisco Department of Public Health at www.sfdph.org 
 

In the meantime, please stay healthy and safe.

Ingat kayong lahat,

Bindlestiff Studio