Updated: OCTOBER 30, 2020 at 1:30pm PT
Dear NYFA LA,
We hope you are doing well as the Fall Semester continues. As in previous updates, we encourage you to review the NYFA Health Alerts and archived communications to the LA Campus, which are regularly updated on the NYFA Student HUB. If you have any questions about the information in this LA Campus Update, please email RemoteLearningLA@nyfa.edu.
This LA Campus Update contains important information including:- LA County and Fall Semester Updates
- Production Workshops and Off-Site Student Production
- Spring Semester Updates
- Travel Guidance for the Holiday Season
- Halloween Safety
- Flu Shots
- Updated NYFA LA Production Guidelines
LA County and Fall Semester Updates
There is no new information about Fall Semester since our LA Campus Update on October 2, 2020. NYFA LA continues to attend telebriefings that are regularly held by LA County Department of Public Health. LA County has not given higher education institutions permission to resume in-person classes. They do not anticipate giving such permission until November 30, at the earliest. While it is possible that LA County may give higher education institutions permission to resume in-person classes, it is not assured or guaranteed. Therefore, NYFA LA does not anticipate that our campus will be able to engage in in-person classes for the remainder of Fall Semester.
Once LA County gives NYFA LA permission to resume in-person instruction, based on State of California Higher Education Guidance including infection rates and positivity rates, we will only do so after we determine we can do so safely in consultation with NYFA’s public health consultant, Dr. Peter Bloland, formerly of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
No student is required to attend classes in-person for the Fall 2020 Semester. Students may complete instruction remotely for the duration of the Fall Semester and may choose to Zoom in to on-campus sessions.- Students who wish to change their declaration between either “hybrid” or “remote only” should contact LARegistrar@nyfa.edu.
- New Fall 2020 F1 students must take in-person classes IF they are offered. For questions about your visa status, please contact the International Student Office at lainternational@nyfa.edu.
Production Workshops and Off-Site Student Productions
Despite NYFA LA likely not being permitted to resume in-person classes for the Fall Semester, production is still allowed. Several students have safely participated in off-site production workshops in Griffith Park and off-site individual student productions. - If your section is scheduled for an off-site production workshop, you will be notified in advance by your department chair so that you can get tested within the required window of time; see the “Updated NYFA LA Production Guidelines” section (below).
- As with any class, students who choose not to or cannot physically attend these productions in person will be able to Zoom into the production as it takes place.
- Some cohorts have already checked out individual camera and lighting packages for use in their own residence.
- Those who are planning advanced or thesis shoots can continue the greenlight process following the COVID Safety Plan and any departmental expectations.
Spring Semester Updates- NYFA LA expects the Spring 2021 semester to be a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.
- Students should make decisions about travel and housing that are most comfortable for them, knowing that we will accommodate students for in-person or remote learning.
- Students unable to attend in-person classes can attend Spring semester classes remotely.
- Students planning to attend classes in-person must arrive in Los Angeles 14 days before attending their first in person class, to allow for self-quarantine (https://hub.nyfa.edu/covid-safety-plan#appendix-vii).
- NYFA LA anticipates that the first in-person class will be January 19, 2021, so students are advised to arrive in Los Angeles no later than January 5, 2021. Students who arrive after January 5th must quarantine 14 days before attending their first in-person class.
- New Fall 2020 F1 students must take in-person classes IF they are offered. For questions about your visa status, please contact the International Student Office at lainternational@nyfa.edu.
Travel Guidance for the Holiday Season:
With the holiday season fast approaching, NYFA strongly discourages all nonessential travel per recommendations from the CDC. This includes a strong recommendation not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday or December winter break. While we understand this may be disappointing or difficult for some, we must do all we can to protect ourselves, each other and our community.
Any who MUST travel to either out-of-state or international locations, are encouraged to consult the CDC Travel Advisory and Table of Global Policies before finalizing plans. Any returning from travel during or after Fall Semester will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days before participating in in-person NYFA activities.
Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Your chances of getting COVID-19 while traveling also depend on whether you and those around you take steps to protect yourself and others, such as wearing masks and staying 6 feet away from people outside your household. - Airports, bus stations, train stations, and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces. These are also places where it can be hard to keep your distance from others.
- In general, the longer you are around a person with COVID-19, the more likely you are to get infected.
Any international student planning to travel internationally, should contact the International Student Office at lainternational@nyfa.edu to get a travel signature and to discuss any possible travel restrictions.
Halloween Safety:
Since some of the traditional ways in which Halloween in the United States is celebrated does not allow you to minimize contact with non-household members, it is important to identify safer alternatives. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has released guidance on how to take part in Halloween in ways that reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.- Halloween Activities that are NOT PERMITTED:
- Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, and haunted house attractions are not allowed.
- Halloween Activities that are NOT RECOMMENDED:
- Door to door trick or treating
- “Trunk or treating” where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats
- Halloween Activities that are PERMITTED AND RECOMMENDED:
- Online parties/contests (e.g. costume or pumpkin carving)
- Car parades and events where individuals remain in their vehicles that comply with public health guidance for vehicle based parades
- Halloween movie nights at drive in theaters
- Halloween themed meals at outdoor restaurants
- Halloween themed art installations at an outdoor museum
- Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations
- Buy and carve a pumpkin
Flu Shots
All NYFA students and employees are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against the flu during Fall Semester, per public health departments’ directives. - Fewer people contracting the flu will prevent the overburden of hospitals and supply chains across the country. A combination of both viruses, or one after the other, may also negatively impact an individual’s health, respiratory health and overall ability to recover.
Updated NYFA LA Production Guidelines:
Effective Monday, November 9, 2020, NYFA LA is instituting the below guidelines for off-site production workshops and off-site individual student productions, in addition to Appendix I of the COVID Safety Plan. - All students are required to take a COVID-19 test 2-6 days before each off-site production (PW or Individual Student Production) and provide the negative test results to covidteamla@nyfa.edu by 4:00pm one business day prior to the start of your production. Productions on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday should submit their test results the prior Friday no later than 4:00pm. The only acceptable test is a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Diagnostic Test. Please refer to our latest LA Campus Update for links to various testing sites around Los Angeles County.
- Students are still required to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to their first day of off-site production or in-person class. However, students no longer need to track these 14 days in the NYFA COVID-19 Symptom Tracker App.
- Students must continue to meet the existing requirements of completing the COVID-19 Safety Training on the Hub and logging daily symptoms in the NYFA COVID-19 Symptom Tracker App on their days of off-site production.
Please also review Appendix I of the COVID Safety Plan as further changes have been made on an institutional level regarding off-site productions.
Though these new policies will further reduce the risk of virus transmission during production, it does not eliminate the risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV2 while on set. Students are expected to practice safe physical distancing and personal hygiene on set.
These changes will go into effect for any productions occurring on Monday, November 9th or later. If you are part of a production prior to November 9th, you must follow at a minimum the previous guidelines, but are encouraged to, if possible, follow these new guidelines.
If you have any questions about the information in this LA Campus Update, please email RemoteLearningLA@nyfa.edu.
Regards,
Dan Mackler
CSO / SVP
Dean of NYFA Los Angeles |
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