This is a COVID-safe(r) residency space. Please read, understand, and consent all safety practices before applying.

Below, you will find the basic details of our COVID policy. You are encouraged you to read in-depth information below as well.

BEFORE ARRIVAL:

Two weeks before your residency begins, please begin to take extra precautions, including masking in all public spaces, avoiding crowded areas indoors and outdoors, working from home if/when you are able, limit gatherings, stay hydrated, and get your rest.

You are required to test 24 hours before your arrival at You Are Here. Please be sure to test before you begin travel, because if you test positive for COVID at the airport, you will be asked not to attend.

If you are able, get your updated COVID-19 vaccine at least three weeks before your travel to You Are Here. Vaccines alone aren’t enough to protect against COVID-19 transmission and spread. Additionally, vaccines are not required for those with a medical exemption. 

UPON ARRIVAL:

Upon arrival, you will be required to test. If you are carpooling with collaborators, please do this 30 minutes before your pick-up time. If you are driving, please stop along the way a few miles before your arrival and conduct the test, or plan on conducting your test upon arrival. If you test positive for COVID at the airport, you will not be able to attend You Are Here.

TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS + TIPS: 

Please mask while on any kind of public transportation (bus, plane, etc.) or in any public setting during your travels. Find high-quality masks that are comfortable for you, as you may need to wear a mask for an extended period of time (find resources to find masks below). We ask that you mask as well as sanitize/wash your hands in order to reduce your risk of contracting COVID or other viruses to or from You Are Here.

Please limit your exposure risk as much as possible. If you begin to develop any symptoms or test positive for COVID within seven days of your retreat start date, please email youarehereresidency@gmail.com ASAP.

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:

You are a guest in an immunocompromised home and visiting a rural community. Our precautions are crucial to the health of the hosts, the town, and each other. Please do your part to keep us all safe!

Masking at You Are Here is not required if you have no symptoms, but you are welcome to mask if that is what feels best for you. If you begin to feel sick or symptomatic during your time at You Are Here, you are required to inform the host of your symptoms, wear a mask, and stay in your living space.

  • Steps and plan of action if you do get COVID:

    • If you are feeling symptomatic or test positive, you are welcome to stay for the duration of your residency, but you will be asked to stay in the living space. If you wish to leave, you will need to arrange your own transportation, as the hosts will not be able to provide rides. There is a shuttle that runs from Sequim to the airport. Please wear a mask to keep the driver safe.

    • The host will provide meals, meds, and support while you rest and recover, if you wish to stay for the duration of their residency.

There is an air purifier in the living room in the living space, as well as an air purifier in the workspace. If you would like to bring additional air purifiers, or a personal rechargable one, you are welcome to do so.

You can find in-depth information about the required safety practices, supplies and where to buy them, more about COVID testing and vaccines, COVID facts, and where to get more education about virus prevention and safety below.

Open each section to find more in-depth information about each Required Safety Practice for your time before, traveling to, and during You Are Here

  • Please avoid indoor dining, drinking at bars, or other indoor activities that require unmasking 14 days prior to your travel.

    Wear a high-quality mask (such as an N95, KN95, or better) in public, such as at work, on public transit, in grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors' offices, gyms, coffee shops, any other indoor public spaces, and at crowded outdoor events. Surgical masks, while better than nothing, do not provide robust protection. See more about masks and links to buy high-quality masks below.

    Move in-person events indoors and/or at-home where it makes sense. If you can work from home, please consider doing so. If you go to a gym, consider at-home workouts for the 14 days before The Heart of It.

    Wear and keep on a high-quality mask when socializing or seeing friends who have high exposure risk (such as friends who work in-person unmasked or who have dined indoors or gone to the gym unmasked in the past week). Many people these days are high exposure. When in doubt, mask up (including during outdoor plans)!

    Move indoor events outdoors where it makes sense, such as socializing with friends outdoors rather than indoors.

    Talk openly with people in your community and those you interact with regularly about exposure possibilities. Make informed decisions to decrease your risk as much as possible.

    Avoid seeing people who are sick or have been in contact with someone who is sick, even if they do not think it’s COVID (false negatives are common on rapid tests).

    Ask housemates, partners, or anyone you see unmasked to join you in masking up in public and taking these precautions with you so you can be a pod! Help kids mask and limit exposure. If people you live with will not be taking precautions, wear a mask in common spaces in the house. The home is a very common place of COVID transmission.

  • You will be required to test for COVID (at least) twice before the start of your residency. You will test once before you depart and start traveling, and once when you arrive at You Are Here. If you need tests, please email youarehereresidency@gmail.com, and we will get them sent to you. Tests will be available upon arrival.

  • If you are able, please consider getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine at least three weeks before your travel to You Are Here. Please note: a vaccine alone isn’t enough to protect against COVID-19 transmission and spread. Additionally, vaccines are not required for those with a medical exemption. 

  • Use air purifiers in indoor spaces and begin using CPC mouthwash (more on that below).

    If at any point during your time at during your residency you start to feel ill, please start masking and inform Sam and anyone else you are sharing space with immediately. Even if it is not COVID, we still want to prevent virus spread of any kind within our community.

Philosophy

Guided by disability justice and care for one another, we have created this guidance based on up-to-date COVID science and real-world experiences of disabled and immunocompromised community members. We are asking you to take these specific, robust precautions in the two weeks before your arrival to avoid bringing viruses such as COVID, RSV, measles, flu, or any other infectious diseases and viruses to You Are Here and Sequim.

Healing justice practitioner Susan Raffo describes a model of community care where if everyone is somewhat inconvenienced, no one will be endangered. All of us taking the extra steps, even when they feel inconvenient, to avoid bringing infection diseases and viruses to The Heart of It will make our entire community safer, especially those of us who are at greatest risk, including our immunocompromised community members, those who do not have PTO and can’t afford to be sick from work, and those who are at higher risk for severe outcomes for infection.

In a world where many spaces have returned to a “normal,” exclude disabled people from public life, and viruses continue to kill and disable thousands, we want You Are Here to be safer, more caring, and more human. Taking these precautions will support a space where we can relax together, focus on relationships, and be present rather than being anxious about viruses while trying to focus on craft and connection.

Sequim is a small community with a large older population, and your host is immunocompromised, so please consider their health and the health of the host while planning your travel.

SUPPLIES AND WHERE TO BUY

Masks are the best tool we have to prevent the spread of viruses within our communities. However, not all masks are created equal. 

N95 or better. This includes N99, N100, elastomeric respirators, and more.

  • Quality filter material; has a tight fit because of straps over the head and can produce an airtight seal. They come in several shapes. They are the best option for people with high-exposure situations or people who are vulnerable due to medical conditions or age.

KN95 and KF94

  • Quality filter material; can fit against the face without gaps. Try different models for best fit to your face. Many people find them more comfortable and easier to breathe through than N95s. They are best for everyday use with moderate exposures, such as running errands or attending indoor events. KN95s and KF942 come in children’s sizes.

Surgical Mask

  • Quality filter material, but not well-fitting. They offer more protection than not wearing a mask at all, but is not optimal for high or moderate risk situations. Please only wear surgical masks when N95s or KN95s are unavailable. 

Cloth masks alone are not effective against aerosols and newer variants.

Learn more about masks through Project N95.

Links to N95 Masks

  • 3M Aura N95 is a popular N95 that fits a wide range of face shapes and sizes (also comes in a 20 pack).

  • Kimberly-Clark N95 is a “duckbill” style, which many people find comfortable and breathable. If masks make you feel claustrophobic, give this style a try! Another duckbill is the Halyard Fluidshield N95.

  • Find more N95 masks and respirators and links to buy them on Project N95.

Links to KN95 Masks

  • Wellbefore 3D KN95 masks have adjustable earloops and come in many colors.

  • AOKOS KN95 masks have adjustable earloops for a better seal to your face.

  • Kind Masks also have fun colors, but do not have adjustable earloops.

  • Enlove KN95 masks do not have adjustable earloops but are a great option.

  • These WWDOLL KN95 masks are kid-sized, colorful, and have adjustable earloops.

  • Planet Halo has a variety of different masks, both KN95 and N95.

Air purification is a helpful layer of protection to add in indoor spaces and spaces with lower quality ventilation, such a planes or crowded rooms. Consider this Pure Enrichments Mini Portable Air Purifier (buy replacement filters here). Levoit makes great and more affordable air purifiers for rooms and spaces. They make purifiers for small rooms, medium rooms, and large rooms. Make sure you pay attention to the square-footage specifications for each purifier you purchase.

You Are Here supplies air purifiers for the living space and workspace; however, you are encouraged to bring personal, rechargeable air purifiers.

CPC mouthwash, with the active ingredient Cetylpyridinium Chloride, kills COVID virus in the mouth. Consider using CPC mouthwash daily for the 10 days before attending You Are Here, right after air and bus travel, and during your time in Sequim. Three options are Parodontax Active Gum Health Mouthwash, TheraBreath Healthy Gums Oral Rinse, or Colgate Total Antiplaque Antigingivitis Mouthwash.

Worried about being dehydrated while traveling in a mask? Consider purchasing a Sip Airtight Drinking Valve. Look at how it works here.

  • Rapid Antigen Tests

    Rapid antigen tests are also called RATs, at-home tests, or rapid tests. They are less sensitive than PCR tests, and so they might be more likely to miss the virus – especially at the very beginning of an infection. This is why virus prevention is so important. However, RATs are good at detecting COVID once you’ve been sick for a few days, because they detect pieces of virus when your ‘viral load’ is high. Viral load goes down when you are no longer contagious; for this reason, RATs are helpful tools for deciding when it is safe to leave quarantine.

    Pros

    • Offer nearly immediate results- usually within 15 minutes

    • A positive test means that you almost surely have COVID-19

    • Are useful for determining when it is safe to leave quarantine: two negative RATs on two consecutive days are a indicator that you are no longer contagious

    • Offer testing options outside traditional healthcare settings for more marginalized communities and those likely to face medical discrimination or criminalization

    Cons

    • Especially at the very beginning of an infection, a RAT might wrongly indicate that you do not have COVID-19 – although you could still be contagious

    • Swabs taken by untrained individuals are more likely to give false negative results

    • Are not accessible to all non-English speakers and are not accessible to Blind/low-vision communities

    4-5 days after exposure is now when you can expect to see your test become positive. RAT false-positives are extremely rare. Get more accurate results by serial testing. If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms and believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, test again 48 hours after the first negative test, then 48 hours after the second negative test, for a total of at least three tests.

    RATs are often available at select public libraries, community centers, or through local city governments. Kits are also periodically available for purchase online and at most local pharmacies. For those with private insurance, RATs are covered either directly at the time of payment or through a complicated reimbursement process. We must demand free and accessible RATs. You can also find RATs through your local mask bloc or Clean Air organization. 

    PCR Tests

    PCR (also known as molecular) tests detect viral RNA and are primarily processed in a lab. They are good at detecting COVID in the days after you are first exposed, sometimes even before you feel sick. For this reason they are referred to as the ‘Gold Standard’ of COVID tests. PCR tests are usually done at a doctor’s office or a testing center, though they are (expensive) home options such as Metrix and PlusLife (PlusLife is no longer available in the US). PCR tests can stay positive even when you are no longer contagious.

    Pros

    • Are better than RATs at detecting COVID-19 in the first days after someone is exposed to and is infected by the virus

    • Offer a formal diagnosis, which is important and often necessary to get treatment and work/school accommodations for those that develop Long COVID or COVID-19 complications

    • A positive test means that you almost surely have COVID-19

    Cons

    • In most cases, PCR testing requires going to a clinic or testing site or find someone with an at-home molecular test

    • Because many PCR tests are processed in a lab, sometimes results can take up to 3-5 days

    • Swabs taken by untrained individuals are more likely to give false negative results

    If you are able to get a PCR test before your travel, please consider doing so. If you get sick or have a known COVID exposure in the 10 days before your arrival, please reach out to staff to discuss what to do.

    Wondering what to do if you test positive for COVID? Check out this plan here.

  • If you are able, please consider getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine at least three weeks beforeyour travel to You Are Here. Please note, a vaccine alone isn’t enough to protect against COVID-19 transmission and spread.

    COVID-19 vaccines provide some protection against infection for a matter of weeks, but that protection wanes rapidly. Along with the genetic mutations the virus has undergone over the past four years, our vaccines do not produce long-lasting immunity, with significant waning in efficacy shown after the three-month mark. Unfortunately,  the majority of Americans have not received their first booster, and less than 5% have received the bivalent Omicron-specific booster.

    However, this doesn’t mean the vaccine is still not a necessary tool in our toolbelt to fight against COVID spread and long-term impact. In fact, a systematic review of 12 studies published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) found that vaccination reduced the risk of Long COVID by 27%. Vaccination also significantly reduces the risk of death and hospitalization across all age groups but it does not eliminate the risks.

    TLDR; Vaccines should not be the end-all be all of a robust response to COVID, but rather, part of a larger strategy that includes layers of protections such as masking, cleaner air and ventilation, and testing.

    Please note: Vaccines are not required for those with medical exemptions.

  • Use air purifiers in indoor spaces and begin using CPC mouthwash (more on that below).

    If at any point during your time at during your residency you start to feel ill, please start masking and inform Sam and anyone else you are sharing space with immediately. Even if it is not COVID, we still want to prevent virus spread of any kind within our community.

COVID Facts

  • COVID-19 is airborne, meaning it’s spread through the air we breathe, not just spit droplets from coughing or talking. The air we breathe out mixes with the other air and floats all over indoor spaces, reaching even people across the room. This means staying 6 feet apart is not as protective indoors as we once thought. Therefore, sharing space is a significant transmission risk. Plus, many of us will want to hug and sit close when we are together, so staying 6 feet apart wouldn’t be a very realistic plan anyway! 

  • COVID-19 is not just a respiratory infection; it is a multifaceted disease. It is a multi-organ, systemic disease; a serious vascular, neurological, immune-system-damaging, eye-damaging, brain-damaging, randomly disabling (and disability-worsening) disease (CDC: 1 in 5; PHAC: 50%).  Any infection creates a risk for serious heart problems; the risk of deadly blood clots is elevated for one year.

  • Each reinfection does cumulative, worsening damage and leads to Long COVID; the typical onset is 4 weeks after infection. There is no treatment, cure, or prevention for Long COVID.  Very healthy people have become bedbound from just one COVID infection. There are no approved treatments or cures for Long COVID. Some people are at higher risk for Long COVID, trans people, neurodivergent people, Black and Hispanic populations, anyone assigned female at birth, and those who are immunocompromised.

  • COVID is less likely to spread outdoors than indoors, but COVID still can and does spread outdoors. Everyone will be in contact with each other in various spaces throughout each person’s time at this event. Therefore, everyone will be exposed to each other (to various degrees) once events have begun.

  • COVID rapid antigen tests are much less sensitive than PCR tests. They miss a lot of asymptomatic and symptomatic cases. A large portion of COVID is spread by people who do not have symptoms or don’t have symptoms yet. Therefore, people are often infected and contagious with COVID before they would test positive on a rapid test. It will be difficult to contain exposure or spread during events because if one person tests positive, we won’t know if other people are also infected until they’ve already had a chance to infect others. Therefore, preventive precautions—trying to make sure nobody gets COVID in the days leading up to events, or during travel, and brings it to The Heart of It—are our most important and reliable way to prevent COVID and other virus spread.

  • In March 2024, the CDC revised its guidelines to reduce the isolation period for those with a COVID infection. We must resist this recommendation. The prevention of exposure to and spread of COVID requires, at minimum, a five-day isolation period. Clear evidence demonstrates that in the course of an active COVID infection, the highest viral load occurs approximately by day 4 of an infection. Some people may experience symptom resolution earlier than others; however, early symptom resolution does not necessarily mean the end of infectiousness, as asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission can still occur. Ultimately, by preventing COVID infections, the likelihood of people becoming severely ill from COVID, as well as those who will develop Long COVID, will be greatly reduced.

Other Information and Additional Resources