​The following are precautions to maximize safety during the first phase of ZenQuest’s reopening.  Phase I will be the most restrictive and last a minimum of three weeks.  Each subsequent Phase will ease these safety measures, following the Massachusetts and CDC recommendations.  Thank you for your understanding and support!
 
Arrival - Students must arrive between 5 and 10 minutes early prior to the start of their class.  Late arrivals may need to wait for their next opportunity to train.  Youth students must be dropped off at the front door once arrangements have been made for their attendance.  All students will be subject to a touch-less body temperature screening upon arrival.  Face coverings must be worn while in the building during Phase I of the reopening.  Students may pick up one free ZenQuest face covering at the front desk.  Additional face coverings will be available for a nominal fee.  Students and families should make membership arrangements via phone, email, or message if possible.  Arrangements can be made at the front desks if needed.  
 
Social Distancing - Students should arrive ready for their class as locker rooms will be unavailable in Phase I.  Students must remove shoes upon entry and carry them to the shelves in the Fitness Room.  The reception area will only be available for information, transactions, and placing orders.  Families may wait for younger students in the playground area or at their vehicles.  Foot traffic will be controlled with designated directions as much as possible in the building using arrows on the floor.  Students may retrieve uniforms or gear from the locker rooms only upon their return.  If a student should need to use the bathroom, all surfaces must be cleaned immediately after their use. 
 
Classes - Classes will be limited to a ten-student maximum during Phase I and, therefore, students must designate which classes they will attend during this time.  Instructors will assist youth students in entering and exiting the classrooms.  All hands and feet must be cleaned with the sanitizer provided prior to each class.  Students will have designated training areas in their classes and must stay within their area and remain in the classroom as much as possible until their class is completed.  Water bottles should be placed in a corner of the student’s area.  Class times have been shortened and spread out more to allow for cleaning before each class.  Students must limit their attendance to one class per morning or evening session.  Due to social distancing requirements classes are temporarily modified as follows:

• More emphasis on individual exercises and drills with 'socially distant' partner drills
  
• Muay Thai strategies primarily drilled using 'Wavemaster' punching bags
  
• Jiu-jitsu techniques practiced using ‘grappling dummies’
  
• Additional equipment is used on a limited basis with 'social distancing'

 
Attire - All Karate and Jiu-jitsu classes will require the Gi or uniform.  All student clothing and gear must be clean for each class.  Students are encouraged to bring sanitizing wipes to clean their own gear and area after use.  Jiu-jitsu students are encouraged to bring an extra Gi top to place on their grappling dummy for training.  Grappling dummies must be stripped and cleaned after each use.  
 
Departure - Youth students may be picked up at the fitness-room door adjacent to the playground.  At the end of each class, students must exit through the fitness-room doorway.  Students will exit in the order of students closest to the doorway first or next.  They will then retrieve their shoes and proceed to exit the building through the exterior fitness-room door.  Parents should be ready to receive youth students to avoid confusion.

We hope that everyone is healthy and looking forward to getting back to 'in-person' classes. All indications from Governor Baker's office are that plans are going well, and that we WILL be able to reopen for classes on Monday, July 6th.  Of course, if the official timeline changes we will make adjustments and let you know. 
We've developed intelligent strategies for making ZenQuest as safe as possible during the reopening. 
After extensive cleaning and disinfecting the gym is essentially ready to go at this time. As you may know, ZenQuest will reopen in four steps or phases. Phase I (July 6th to July 26) will utilize the most extensive safety precautions. A modified class schedule for Phase I is available at this LINK. We will also continue with our virtual classes and instructional videos until we resume in-person classes. This week's schedule is noted above.
Each phase is scheduled to last for three weeks.  The most intense social distancing measures will be utilized in the first phase, and these will gradually be relaxed with each following phase after.
Phase I social distancing measures will include one way traffic through the building as much as possible.  Parents will be required to drop off youth students and additional seating will be provided outside in it’s picnic and playground area.  Indoor waiting areas, locker rooms and fitness room will also be off limits in this initial Phase. 
Students will be subjected to temperature checks upon entry of the building.  They should also stay home if they have at-risks family members at home, or think that they may be feeling ill.  Students will be required to sanitize hands and feet before entering training rooms and on breaks.  The school will encourage online, phone-in, or automatic payments also to promote social distancing. 
Window fans placed in the training rooms, combined with open windows and doors will keep fresh air flowing through the building.  The building is also equipped with a ’fresh air exchange’ system from when the Berkshire Montessori school occupied the space, and we will  begin running that during classes as well. 
Class sizes will be limited to 10 and students will have assigned areas in the class.  Classes will initially consist of instruction and individual exercises with no partner training in Phase I.  Portions of classes will consist of presentations of drills, sparring, history and information appropriate to each martial art and age group.  Some of this will be presented by instructors while other portions will be done using video.  The school has also acquired ‘grappling dummies’ for it’s Jiu-jitsu classes in the early stages of reopening.  Children's games will be limited to those that can be performed with social distancing. 
Face coverings will be required for everyone in Phase I.  ZenQuest will supply custom ’Ninja’ masks at no charge while supplies last.  These ‘Gaiter’ style coverings are made of a Lycra material which balance protection with enabling the wearer to breathe during activity.  Class intensities will be at a level that works with face coverings while their use is in affect.  This, too, will be relaxed in succeeding phases.
Cleaning of mats, surfaces, and equipment will all be stepped up significantly.  These will be disinfected between classes and at the end of each day.  Class durations will be slightly shorter to allow for cleaning between classes.  A professional cleaning service will also be used at the end of each week to disinfect the entire facility.  
Details for Phases II and III will be issued soon.  These will include less social distancing and a gradual return to more partner training and group interaction.  The current reopening schedule is as follows:  Phase I - July 6 to July 26, Phase II - July 27 to August 16, and Phase III - August 17 to September 7.  With the end of reopening Phase III, operations would return to normal with appropriate considerations at that time.  This plan will, of course, be adjusted based on guidelines from the CDC and Massachusetts if needed.
In the preparation for reopening, the entire facility has been cleaned and disinfected from top to bottom.  This includes all surfaces in the building including floors, mats, walls, cubicles, shelves, tables, chairs, desks, lockers and fixtures.  Similarly, all equipment is being disinfected including targets, kick shields, Thai pads, focus mitts, weights, kettle bells, fitness balls, medicine balls, punching bags, etc.  All of this has made ZenQuest a very clean environment to train in going forward.
The effects of COVID19 has been difficult for everyone and even tragic for some.  But, with the threat of the virus gradually subsiding, we can begin to look forward to gradually getting back to a more normal life.  With some caution and intelligent strategies we are confident that we WILL return to normal while staying as safe as possible. 
We appreciate your continued support and hope to see you in training again soon!

 Although we haven’t been able to conduct our normal 'in-person' classes during the quarantines, we are providing virtual classes and videos online so that students can continue their training remotely.  Staying fit and continuing your practice during this time is important in many ways.  Aside from keeping your physical and mental health strong, this will reduce stress and anxiety, and allow you to make the best of the situation.  It contributes to your growth in the martial arts and your progress toward your next promotions, and will allow you to ‘hit the ground running’ once we do reopen.
At this point the majority of our online classes and videos are being provided via ZOOM.  This is an interactive video meeting app that is more like an actual class.  We also provide some classes by ’live stream’ using a special group on Facebook called ‘RTS’ or Remote Training Support.  We typically provide six classes each week for adults and kids.  Eligible students and families can go to the group via the Facebook ZenQuest page and submit a request to join in.  They can also easily get links for the ZOOM classes by request.  There are different ways to gain access to these virtual classes if you haven’t already.  For information on access please refer to the article entitled ’Enrollment Alternatives’ on page 2.  There are also many videos available on ZenQuest’s website and YouTube channel.   
Something else to consider going forward are virtual private lessons.  Some students have already taken advantage of this alternative to in-person training with great success.  This is a great way to concentrate on promotion material or customized instruction at a pace and focus that works for the individual student.
For assistance with our virtual classes or gaining access please contact us at 413-637-0656 or [email protected].  Thanks again for your support!