First, I want to thank you all for your support this past 18 months. I have been very pleased to continue sharing Aikido through this challenging time. We recently had a member contact COVID and I am happy to say this member has had a mild case and is recovering well. Nevertheless, this situation points to our need to work together in order to keep the dojo open for practice.
At this time, I advise all members and families to be vaccinated if they have not already had COVID. Although this is not mandatory for practice, I think it is the best way to assure the safety of all members and our broader community. As you may know, children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination. Meanwhile, both Cass and Clay counties are seeing surges in cases as the more virulent delta strain of COVID is taking root in our population. At this time there are still less than 50% of Cass county residents fully vaccinated and only 31% of clay county residents fully vaccinated. This low vaccination rate is coinciding with increased indoor gatherings, school starting and cooler weather. We are already seeing increased rates of infection among children and a dramatic increase in severe illness among that unprotected population.
In addition to my recommendation for vaccinations, I recommend members and family members practice proper masking and social distancing in all public spaces. I know that we all want to be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us. Without collaboration it is likely that we will have shut the dojo down for quarantines. This would not only be hard on the community but it would carry over into our lives outside of the dojo. Many of us would have to quarantine at home and some would have to stop working. Moreover, as long as the virus has a significant population it can infect, this roller coaster will continue.
Finally, it is unclear when the last possible day of exposure for members could have been. I will provide more details as they come available. At this point it is possible that students who trained in adult classes the week of August 30th, and children in the September 7th class may have been exposed.
Information for testing options are below. Thank you again for your patience and understanding. I will provide more information as it comes available.
Testing
COVID-19 PCR testing and BinaxNOW Rapid Screening are provided Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 3051 25th Street South, Fargo, Suite K. The site is located in the Family Fare strip mall, between Hi-Ho Burgers and Brews and Grand Junction Grilled Subs. More information can be found on the Cass County COVID-19 Testing page. While appointments are not needed for testing/screening, pre-registration is required and can be completed here: https://testreg.nd.gov/. Individuals only need to complete the registration process one time, even if they participate in multiple testing events.