COVID-19 Response and Precautions

UPDATE JANUARY 24, 2O23

As we have been following all city and county guidelines for COVID (plus the flu and RSV!), masks will be strongly recommended in our classes. Surgical or KN/N95s are encouraged. All of our staff is fully vaccinated plus 1 or more boosters. Additionally, we ask that if any student has symptoms or tests positive, or someone in their immediate family has symptoms or tests positive, that you alert our staff immediately. If a student is exposed in a close, maskless encounter to someone who later tests positive, please alert our staff immediately. Thank you all for helping to keep our entire community safe!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

For our fall 2022 sessions, Girls Garage will continue requiring that all staff and students wear masks in our workspace at all times, preferably N-95 or KN-95 masks. If there is a COVID exposure at Girls Garage or if a student or instructor tests positive, we ask that they notify our staff immediately and not attend class until testing negative and/or through the CDC-guided quarantine times.

We will continue to sanitize all surfaces, contact points, tools, and equipment before and after each class.
We have added staff and activities in order to divide the class into smaller groups that will gather in distinct parts of the space (upstairs, downstairs shop, downstairs work table).

Note: our entire staff is fully vaccinated.

UPDATE MAY 24, 2022

For our summer 2022 sessions, Girls Garage will require that all staff and students wear masks in our workspace at all times (we suggest N-95 or KN-95 masks). If there is a COVID exposure at Girls Garage or if a student or instructor tests positive, we ask that they not attend class until testing negative and/or through the CDC-guided quarantine times. Our staff will test regularly for the virus.

Social distancing will be required. We have revisited our project activities to prioritize individual work or small group work that does not require close contact or physical collaboration. Staff will continue to provide supportive safety training and tool support with modifications to balance tool safety with social distance.

Note: our entire staff is vaccinated, including a booster shot.

UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2022

With the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Girls Garage has refined our COVID-19 protocols to keep our staff, students, and families as safe as possible. We will now be requiring that all staff and students wear N-95 or KN-95 masks while in our space. If there is an COVID exposure at Girls Garage or if a student or instructor tests positive, we ask that they not attend class until testing negative and/or through the CDC-guided quarantine times. Our staff will test weekly for the virus.

Social distancing will be required. We have revisited our project activities to prioritize individual work, or small group work that does not require close contact or physical collaboration. Staff will continue to provide supportive safety training and tool support with modifications to balance tool safety with social distance.

Note: our entire staff is vaccinated, including a booster shot.

UPDATE JULY 27, 2021

Every Girls Garage employee is fully vaccinated, and although all statewide restrictions were lifted on June 15, 2021, we remain compliant with the California Department of Public Health and Division of Occupational Safety, which require the use of face coverings in child care indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. We will continue to offer small-group, in-person classes and follow the guidelines we outlined in the December 2020 update.

UPDATE DECEMBER 30, 2020

In compliance with the City of Berkeley and Alameda County health orders, we will run after-school programs with strict modifications to protect instructors and participants. We know that as most local schools have not returned to in-person instruction and remain in a virtual format, the Girls Garage in-person experience will be more valuable than ever. However, please know that we are proceeding with extreme caution and care in order to ensure the safety of participants and our staff. We will also continue to monitor the local and state ordinances, and may make adjustments prior to or during the season. We are cautious, yet very excited, to have the opportunity to build with girls in-person!

Welding and Steel Work class will not be held at this time, due to physical proximity of supported instruction and shared protective equipment.
Carpentry + Woodworking will run four, 4-week sessions on Tuesdays or Thursdays, in groups of 4 girls each (participants should enroll in only ONE session, as all sessions will be the same content).
Advanced Design/Build will run on an alternating week schedule (12 girls, split into two sub-cohorts of 6 meeting every other week) who will build outside when possible.
Protest + Print will run on on an alternating week schedule (12 girls, split into two sub-cohorts of 6 meeting every other week).
Advanced Print Studio will run a weekly schedule in a small cohort of 6 girls.

We continue to monitor and comply with each new Alameda County and City of Berkeley Health Officer Order, as well as following state and national guidelines.

All classes will operate with reduced group sizes (maximum 6 girls, 2 instructors); girls will work outside as much as possible (in the front and rear parking lot areas of the building)
Instructors and participants must wear face masks at all times when inside the building
Everyone will maintain six feet of social distance, except when closer or more hands-on support is necessary for safety of tool operation
Tools will not be shared between participants, and each student will have their own dedicated workbench
Everyone will wash hands or use hand sanitizer upon arrival, after working, after touching their face, and after using the restroom
Staff will wipe down and disinfect tools, surfaces, and fixtures before and after each session
Staff will wipe down and disinfect machinery and facilities between uses
Participants who have COVID-like symptoms, or who have tested positive for COVID, or who have been exposed to a family member or other person with COVID-like symptoms or tested positive for COVID, must notify our staff immediately so that we may take proper cautions and communications, and should not participate in classes for 14 days.

Parents can help us minimize points of contact by waiting in cars until the doors open rather than congregating on sidewalks, keeping girls home if they are feeling ill or have a fever, not entering the workshop at pick-up or drop-off, and by continuing to keep your social pods as small as possible.

UPDATE APRIL 1, 2020

First of all, we hope that you are all doing well, staying safe and healthy during this uncertain time. Please know that Girls Garage is working hard to stay updated on the latest COVID-19 information, and making program decisions in the interest of our community’s collective health.

Our physical workshop is currently closed and all weekend workshops have been postponed and will be rescheduled. Our spring classes will take place in a new online format. We are still planning to run summer programs, but will make updates in response to any new COVID-19 mandates. Families of girls enrolled in any programs have been (and will continue to be) contacted with new information as decisions are made.

During this uncharted time while our doors are closed, we’re doing all we can to stay connected to our fearless builder girls. We can’t wait to have you back in the workshop, but until we can safely do so, we’re providing a suite of distance learning programming including videos, online classes, and new take-home builder kits! There’s no better time to flex your muscles and cultivate a builder mindset by focusing on creativity and problem-solving.

Read about distance learning

MARCH 12, 2020

We know that there is much uncertainty about COVID-19, and that the information is dynamic and changing every day. While we are a small-group workspace, and our programs average only 12 participants and 2 instructors, we recognize that minimizing exposure is the only way to contain the spread of COVID-19. As of now, our upcoming spring (April-May) after-school programming and summer camps (June-August) will take place as planned, following the precautions listed below. Our weekend workshops will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the workshop activity and our ability to deliver safe tool instruction versus maintaining social distance. We are closely monitoring the latest information from the CDC and other local (county and city) agencies, and will adjust accordingly based on an informed judgement about the risk to our community’s health. If we cancel any paid programming, alternate program dates and full refunds will be granted to all registered participants.

Please know that Girls Garage is taking all recommended precautions to keep our workspace and community healthy. This includes:

Asking all participants and staff to wash their hands upon arrival and after working or eating,
Posting signage about proper hand-washing technique,
Maintaining social distance (arms-length), with the exception of limited hands-on support for safe tool instruction,
Wiping down and sanitizing all surfaces (work tables, desks, bathroom fixtures, door knobs) and safety equipment before and after each program, and
Asking participants who are feeling ill to stay home.

Thank you for your trust in us as we all navigate this concerning and rapidly-changing moment.

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