UMAC SHRUB OAK IMPORTANT INFORMATION!! REOPENING PROCEDURES!

Published: Fri, 07/03/20

UMAC Families,

Master Berlow here!

This is an email that I have been waiting for the green light to send out for WAAAAYYYYYYYY too long! These last four months have been unprecedented to say the least. (There are many non UMAC words that I could say!)

UMAC was mandated by the government on March 16th to close down in-person operations due to the increased spread of the novel Covid-19. Never in a million years did I think that in-person operations would be suspended until now! When there is a choice between safety of our students and revenue of in person operations, we will always choose safety.

In the early days of closure, we were in a huge scramble to put together an effective and efficient online virtual training platform so that our students didn't miss a beat in their training. Our goal was to create a sense of certainty in a time where everything was uncertain. Life as we know it has been vastly different in the last few months; but, low blocks, front kicks and the energy of our passionate instructors never changed!

After launching UMAC live, we were handed our next "Quarantine Project." This was a huge undertaking that took many long days and endless speed bumps. The story is long so I will spare you the time, but we needed to leave our location in the Shrub Oak Plaza and move into our New UMAC home as quickly as possible and of course on as strict a budget!

Since April 1st, my father (Grand Master Berlow) and I have been balancing UMAC Live with demolition and construction of our new UMAC home. As my father always says (What you put into it is what you get out of it!)

Fast forward to today, we have officially seen a light at the end of the tunnel. As of today, we have finished 99% of the construction (There are tiny finishing touches here and there but nothing major) and we have all of the amenities needed to operate safely and efficiently. As we enter "Phase 4" of reopening on July 6th, we are blessed to be included as we fall under the category of "Sports and Recreation."

Upon reopening, we have done everything we can to ensure that we can open safety. If I had a shred of doubt in our procedures, we would not even consider it. The UMAC team has been in contact with many different businesses and organizations in order to execute the safest and most functional reopening plan possible with safety as the #1 priority. With that said, we are confident that our reopening plan is the absolute best it can be.

So here it is, the moment we have all been waiting for! Please read closely to all of the details so that you know exactly what is needed for us to operate classes safely. Here are the 6 Steps to a safe and effective reopening. I will be explaining each step. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us!

Step 1: Schedule Your Class

Another big project that we have undertaken in the last few months and completely revamping our "back office" operating system. This new system comes with MANY perks, but one is being able to schedule class to guarantee proper capacity limits are met. As of now, we can only fit 14 students at a time in class. There will be an email dedicated to this process so please be on the lookout for that next week. For now, please understand that only students that are pre-registered any specific class will be permitted to enter the facility.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES, WE WILL BE ASKING THAT STUDENTS COME LIVE 1 DAY. AFTER THE FIRST WEEK, WE WILL EVALUATE HOW EVERYTHING WENT AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY FOR MORE CLASSES. PLEASE BARE WITH US AS WE SLOWLY LET EFFECTIVELY MOVE IN TO A FULL CLASS SCHEDULE!

Step 2: Arrive in Uniform

In an effort to limit the use of our bathrooms and changing areas, we ask that all students arrive in what they will be training in. Anything that you arrive with will be right next to you in class, so please be sure to pack light!

Step 3: Wear your mask!

There has been a lot of controversy as to if masks should be required when training. We have decided to stay on the side of caution and require all students in the facility, whether on or off the mats have a mask on. There will be times where we will be doing high intensity exercise. In that time, if a student needs to catch their breath, they can temporarily take off their mask as long as other students are in a safe distance more than 6 feet apart.

Step 4: Check In For Class!

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled class to go through the check in process. Nothing too crazy, but everything is important to ensure the safety of everyone.

You will enter though our main entrance (Located in the back of the building, the farthest door away from the entry. You will be greeted by one of our staff members and 3 things will happen.

1) You will have your temperature taken. (Must be under 100 degrees, no exception.) It will be checked twice if needed because of the summer heat. Any students over that temperature must leave immediately (Parents don't leave the parking lot until after the check in process.)

2) Questions. Due to our license, we are required to ask certain questions so that we know that you are virus free. Don't worry, we will make the questions fun, yet hit the point.

Example Question: Have you lost the sense of taste in the last 24 hours?

My question: What did you eat for breakfast? How did it taste?

- Same outcome just less scary for children! We had fun with this in Briarcliff in our test week!

3) Students must sanitize hands.

After these are done, the student will be assigned a space on the mats numbers 1-14, they will take off their shoes, head up the stairs and go to their spot. There are chairs with numbers on them where students will put down their belongings. All belongings remain with students to limit cross contamination. Once they are on the mats, they are ready to have some fun!!!

Step 5: Parents and Visitors Note.

This is hard for me to say, as I always encourage parents to view and actively be involved with their child's training. But to limit crowding in common areas, we ask that all parents of students ages 7 and up drop off their child and not enter the facility at this time. It is unfortunate, but temporary. Classes will be accessible via zoom so you can tune in to the class on your mobile device.

Students of Little Dragons (4-6 year olds) can have 1 guest per student.

Step 6: Hybrid Classes:

For those that cannot make it to class or didn't have the ability to sign up, you can still train from the convenience of your home as we will be running zoom classes concurrently with live classes. Remember, as of the first week we will only be allowing one day of live attendance. Feel free to jump in on as many zoom classes as possible! The more the better!

So there it is, our reopening procedures! The only thing left to say about that is be sure to follow the arrows when you are in the facility to ensure a one way flow of students.

Students will be picked up on the other side of the building in a separate exit. We will show you when you arrive!

To keep clean and safe, we will be spacing out classes with 20 minute breaks so we can completely sanitize the facility for the next round of students. No matter what time you arrive, you will be greeted with a fresh, clean training area, almost like no-one was there prior!

We thank you for all of the love and support as we work hard towards returning to normal operations. Though it may be different in some ways, what will never change is the positive and uplifting energy that flows through the school and makes UMAC what it is. We are on a mission to help children and families gain a sense of normalcy and something that they can look forward to every day.

I love you all and look forward to seeing familiar faces soon!

Respectfully,

Master Tim Berlow

UMAC Shrub Oak