A KAW Safe Return to Work

PPE will become a normal sight during our "Safe Return to Work" period.

When will it be safe for us to reopen?  This is a question we have been asking ourselves frequently over the last couple of months.  We fully expect the Michigan government will do their best to keep public safety a large priority.  But being an industry that literally touches people in a confined space for extended periods of time, we wanted to ensure we set forth a plan that would keep everyone involved as safe as possible, and made sense for us specifically as an industry.
As a staff we came together and decided we needed to create our own criteria for a safe reopening.  Our intention is to create an environment that is as safe as possible for both clients and ourselves.  Outlined below are the steps we set in place that need to be true for us to reopen and what to expect when you are finally able to schedule.

• First we will need to first have permission from the State Government to reopen.
• We additionally want to see 2 weeks of a decline or no new COVID-19 cases in Kalamazoo County.
  
• We will have a temporary “Safe Return to Work” period for a minimum of 30 days once we deem it safe to reopen.  During this time:
  
  1. Sessions will be limited to 60 minutes each and will be staggered by 30 minutes to reduce the number of clients in our waiting area.
     
  2. Not all therapists will be available and room usage will be cut in half.
     
  3. Your therapist will be required to wear PPE such as masks, aprons and goggles.
     
  4. You will also be required to wear a mask while in the building.
     
  5. If you or your therapist are exhibiting any symptoms such as coughing, sneezing or elevated body temp you will be asked to reschedule.  Late cancellation fees will be suspended during this time.
     
  6. You will be contacted the day before your session and must answer a series of questions to confirm your appointment.
     
  7. We will be sanitizing the room between each session.
     
  8. The waiting area will have a reduced amount of clutter and seating will be swapped out for easier to clean folding chairs.
     
  9. The member’s lounge will be closed off from use.
     
  10. We will request that payments be made via credit card as much as possible.
      
  11. You will be asked to sign a waiver upon your first visit during this time period acknowledging you understand the risks of receiving massage during this unprecedented time.
      

Because of the more fluid nature of our reopening criteria, we cannot set a date for reopening at this time.  We have cancelled all sessions in June and will be closing off any openings in July.  Once we have a date for reopening we will be calling all clients, starting with members, who were scheduled in any of the previous months that we have been closed for COVID to get them scheduled within our specified schedule.  Please keep in mind, we fully understand the desire to get back to your bodywork as regularly scheduled.  We MUST proceed with caution and make it as safe as possible for all involved.  Public health is, after all, our number one priority.  Thank you so, so much for your continued patience and support!

Nick Garman