MTA Covid Information
The Music Teachers’ Association of NSW is getting enquiries from our members about whether we should be teaching music lessons in person. The MTA strongly advises teachers in the Greater Sydney area not to deliver face-to-face teaching at this time. The government advice is to reconsider what we regard as essential work, and to not leave home or allow visitors unless we absolutely have to.
We advise all our members to consult the Service NSW website. Information for Greater Sydney is here:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/greater-sydney
and for regional and rural areas of NSW here:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/what-you-can-do-nsw
After enquiries from our members, we contacted Service NSW, and there is no specific advice about music lessons. We have been advised that police have been given the authority to decide whether a breach of the regulations has occurred, and whether fines should be issued. This is includes the circumstance of a neighbour or passer-by phoning the police or Crime Stoppers to report a suspected breach.
There are also new requirements for use of QR codes. The information from Service NSW is here:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe/customer-record-keeping/mandatory-electronic-check-in
This applies to many situations, including business premises where “a service is provided directly to members of the public on a regular basis.”
We strongly advise all our members in the Greater Sydney area to err on the side of caution in their decision-making at this difficult time. The Delta strain is much more contagious than the virus we dealt with last year, and much more transmissible in households and indoor spaces. It is not clear that there is any safe way to be in a room with another person without risking transmission of the virus, even with masks and regular surface-wiping.
Please, let’s all of us do everything we can to stop the spread. Let’s look for ways to reduce movement of ourselves and our students. This is about everyone working together to keep safe: the more of us who stay home, the safer we all are, the safer our loved ones are, and the sooner we get out of this lockdown.
We are thinking of you all, both city and country, in this weary and difficult time. Our thoughts are particularly with those who are directly affected, either by contact with the virus, or by personal health concerns. Your MTA is here to support you: please contact the office if there’s anything we can do to help you.
Stay safe everyone. Let’s all hope for better news soon.