COVID-safe working (boring but important)

Please note that, for the moment, I require clients to wear a well-fitted mask over their mouth and nose for the entirety of the session.

Sadly, the numbers of infections, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 are all higher than at this time last year.

I am double-vaccinated and boosted, and will be taking the following tedious but sensible steps to keep clients and myself as safe as possible as we go into winter:

• Lateral flow tests: I test regularly (be still, my aching nose) to make possible the earliest detection of asymptomatic infection. I would encourage clients to take a test in the 24hrs prior to treatment, and again in the 2-3 days following treatment, and to let me know in the event of a positive test. At present, you can still order lateral flow test kits for free online and in participating pharmacies.
• Increased ventilation and air filtering: I use an air purifier that is tested to remove 99.9% of viruses and aerosols from the air and that can purify the air in a small room in around 15 minutes. It sits in the corner of the room like a very small Dalek.
• Masking: At present I wear a (clear) mask for the entirety of my sessions.

If you are exempt from wearing a mask on the grounds of a medical condition such as respiratory disease, please contact me before booking to discuss your situation. Please do not turn up to a session without a mask. I have spare masks handy in case you forget yours, but will not, for the moment, treat you if you are not wearing a mask. Masking protects you, me, and the people I live with.

If mask-wearing creates an accessibility issue (e.g. if you need to lip-read), please let me know in advance. I use a clear mask that may be more accessible.

I am aware that this is not ideal, but masking feels like the simplest and most effective way to mitigate the risk of aerial transmission of viral particles in a context where social distancing is not possible.