Protocol

A red-letter day today for the Music Group. We last met on 14th March as we have for over twenty years, on Saturdays between 1 and 4, with different group members hosting from week to week. And then can the Coronavirus.

After a couple of weeks exchanging emails recommending musical choices to one another, a group member heard about Zoom. Since the beginning of April, weekly Zoom meetings have been the norm, but they've been fraught with technical problems and just haven't proved an adequate substitute for the real thing. With each relaxation of the lockdown restrictions, beginning with its being okay for four people to meet indoors, I argued for thinking about meeting face-to-face again. It took until today for that to happen.

Understandably, some members were wary of meeting in person, but I produced a drawing which showed that I could safely host up to six people in my place while adhering to 2-metre social distancing. Still some remained unsure, so I suggested that we alternate between live and Zoom meetings, and that all live session would take place chez moi. In addition I put together a (very) detailed protocol document which sets out how meetings can be held safely.

As I say, today was the day. We were five, including me as host. I set up a sanitiser station in the hall, laid out the furniture in accordance with my distancing drawing and distributed warning notices as necessary. Part of the distancing involved only one side of my two-seater sofa being occupied, so I placed this sign on the other cushion to make sure nobody sat where they shouldn't.

All went well. Music choices were nicely varied, but the main thing was the return to a semblance of normality, even if the available selection of individually-wrapped biscuit snacks is more limited than ideal (I couldn't find anything that didn't include a chocolate coating).