COVID-19 Guidance

This Covid statement will be updated on the 28th of February, 2021

Introduction

Poulstone takes its responsibility on health and safety very seriously. We have been reviewing, very carefully, the guidance issued by government for businesses such as ours, on how to mitigate on risk during the pandemic. A risk assessment has been conducted and as a consequence we have decided to open Poulstone for retreats on the 26 August 2020.

This Poulstone COVID-19 Guidance v4, is based on current Government guidance for businesses titled “Working safely during COVID-19 v28SEP2020”. We regularly review government guidance and we will amend this Guidance accordingly, if new government guidance impacts the current position.

This Guidance is intended for the safety of the team working at Poulstone and guests who attend Poulstone.

General

  1. For all attending Poulstone, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, which includes high fever, new and persistent cough and lack of smell and taste, please do not come to Poulstone.
  2. Please follow all signage displayed at Poulstone.
  3. We will be permitting the use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi in the house during this pandemic period but will leave it to the facilitator to decide, whether this is suitable for their guests at the retreat.
  4. Please bring a face covering and use it, particularly in common areas, where social distancing is not possible.
  5. There will be hand sanitisers placed around the house. Please use them regularly. We advise that you also carry your own personal hand sanitiser.
  6. All guests must sanitise hands immediately on arrival to Poulstone.
  7. If you develop symptoms after arrival at Poulstone, please contact your facilitator immediately, isolate within your room, and make your way home safely.
  8. We are of the view, that Poulstone can accommodate 15 people. If you wish to have more people attend, then please speak with our team to see if this is possible.

There are 4 showers units, 4 baths with showering facilities and 4 toilet facilities on the 2nd and 3rd On the ground floor, there are 2 toilet facilities and 2 baths. In total, there are 6 toilet facilities and 8 shower areas and 6 baths.

There are three work rooms at Poulstone; The Meditation Room, the Barn and the library. The Barn can accommodate 15 yoga mats, with each yoga mat placed at least 2 metres apart from the next. The Meditation Room can accommodate 15 people and the library, at any time, can accommodate 15 people with social distancing. Please ensure that windows are open and/or there is ventilation in the rooms you use.

Poulstone will open both of its dining areas and the library for dining, and also increase the time for dining to 1hr 30mins. These areas can accommodate, at any one time, at least 15 people.

Wherever possible, we encourage you to use our gardens for your courses, relaxing and when dining. We are hoping to erect a marquee in the garden and place a large table for outside dining.

 

Whilst working at Poulstone (for the team)

Poulstone maintains high hygiene standards in its kitchen areas and in the house. To reinforce behaviours and COVID risk assessment requirements, the team are asked to ensure they observe the following:

Kitchen

  • Keep room ventilated by opening doors and windows where possible.
  • Limit number of people in the kitchen to two.
  • Staff not to work face to face whilst in kitchen (helper for example may work in the pantry).
  • When going into the house, wear a face mask.
  • Ensure, you sanitise and/or wash hands regularly.
  • Surfaces frequently used by team members to be regularly wiped down (e.g. in Kitchen and Pantry).

Contact between team and guests

Please limit interaction between team and guests. E.g. only cleaning the house when guests are using the group room/out of the house.

 

Guests

Poulstone, historically has maintained clear boundaries between Guests and the Team with the facilitator being the first point of contact if Guests need any assistance. This practice should now be followed strictly and in addition, we now ask that the following is observed:

Welcome Talk

  • Where possible, welcome talk to be done outdoors, if not, face coverings to be worn by all for the welcome talk. Depending on the number of guests, there may be 2 welcome talks.

Staying at Poulstone

  • Hands to be sanitised or washed with soap and water regularly during stay at Poulstone.
  • Rooms to be kept ventilated by opening windows, where possible.
  • Guests will be spread out amongst rooms to comply with social distancing guidelines.
  • Social distancing to be maintained at all times during stay at Poulstone as per government guidelines.
  • In line with government guidance, guests are strongly advised to wear masks when moving around the house.
  • Face coverings should be worn whenever social distancing cannot be maintained.

Dining at Poulstone

  • One-way system to be put in place in dining room.
  • Dining room tables to be reconfigured to allow for socially distanced dining.
  • Guests to be encouraged to eat outside weather permitting, and in other parts of the house such as the library.
  • All guests to wear masks whilst serving their food.
  • Guests to sanitise their hands on every trip to the buffet, before they start serving food and when using condiments.
  • Only when one table has served their food, should the next table serve their food.
  • Plates to be left on tables after guests have finished eating. Staff will collect plates after guests have left, at the end of each meal.

Tea Bar at Poulstone

  • Hands to be sanitised on entry into the tea bar
  • Guests must wear masks in the tea bar whilst making drinks and serving cake.
  • Hands not to be washed in the same sink where mugs are washed.

Bathrooms at Poulstone

  • Guests should sanitise their hands on entering and exiting all bathrooms.
  • Paper towels to be used instead of hand towels in all bathrooms.
  • Every time you use bathrooms or toilet facilities, please clean with materials provided e.g. any shower handles, taps, flushes and door handles.
  • The team will clean the bathrooms fully once a day, at midday.

Contact between Facilitators and Poulstone Team

  • To minimise contact between team and guests, should facilitators need to contact a member of the Poulstone team this should be done in the half an hour after breakfast, or the half an hour before dinner.

Developing symptoms of COVID-19 whilst staying at Poulstone

  • If guests are feeling unwell, they should return home in a safe manner.
  • Guests should be practicing social distancing, but anyone who has come into close contact with the symptomatic individual should also go home.
  • This should be assessed on a case by case basis.

Track and Trace

  • Guests to fill in track and trace details online using Poulstone’s QR code on arrival.
  • Facilitators to maintain all contact details of all those attending retreats.
  • Remind facilitators that these details may be requested and shared if required in accordance with NHS track and trace guidance.

Other

  • Each retreat should discuss any individual needs with us.