The past several months have been many things. Strange. Frightening. Isolating. Reflective. Perspective-inducing. A stark reminder of the fundamental inequities and deficiencies that underpin our world. And a serious learning experience. Whoever would have imagined six months ago that we’d all have become armchair epidemiologists, anxiously poring over the dense prose of peer-reviewed journals and taking our family’s temperatures every morning?

Of the many things we’ve learned, one that stands out is just how much we value being able to gather, connect, and interact with all of you. We’ve missed you, VIDA members. And now, we are overjoyed that we’re finally getting the chance to reconvene in person again!

But to keep everybody safe, the VIDA experience is going to look a little bit different. During the quarantine, we’ve been hard at work developing policies, procedures, and protocols around spaces and sanitation designed to make our space the safest it can be. We’re asking members to adhere to these protocols so every member can stay safe, healthy, and well – and so that we never have to go three months without seeing all of your beautiful faces ever again. Here’s an overview of the changes you can expect to see. For the full details, go here.

Spaces

First, we’re keeping the main entrance to VIDA closed during the day, even during our 9 am to 5 pm open hours. We’ve set up an app for keyless entry outside, plus a new Proximity app that makes it easy for visitors to ping you when they’ve arrived.

There’s a hand sanitizing station (one of many located throughout the space) right inside the door stocked with some of our favorite moisturizing hand sanitizers. The first thing we ask anybody coming into VIDA to do is clean their hands. Then, you’ll check-in at the front desk. Every time you check in, you’ll certify you aren’t experiencing any symptoms. If you’re not feeling well, of course, please stay home and take care of yourself—we’ll be here when you get better.

Inside, you’ll notice we’ve rearranged. Each work station has at least six feet of space around it, so you can feel free to take any seat. We’ve also reduced the capacities of our conference rooms for the same reason, which now must be pre-booked. If you need conference room paraphernalia like whiteboard markers, cables, or AV equipment, just ask at the front desk and we’ll get you sanitized gear.  

We’ve worked with the building to install hospital laboratory-grade air filters, and to ensure that humidity levels remain within the recommended range. We’re also letting in as much fresh air as we can with open windows.

Finally, please note that face masks are required for all members in common areas like the kitchen, bathroom, hallways, or front desk. You may work at your desk without a mask.

Surfaces

We’ve looked to CLEAN Practice Protocols for our sanitizing regime. We’ll sanitize every common surface every hour, on the hour, using an all-natural, nontoxic, child-friendly, hospital-grade sanitizer and disinfectant called Force of Nature that’s on the EPA’s approved list of disinfectants for SARS-CoV-2. It’s as powerful as bleach, but thankfully odor-free. Every night, VIDA gets a deep clean from a contracted janitorial service.

We’ve also installed NanoSeptic Nanotouch skins on high-touch areas like doors, buttons, and levers. When exposed to light, this high-tech nanocrystal material oxidizes contaminants for a self-cleaning effect. And for less frequently touched surfaces, we’re also issuing each VIDA member a custom 3D-printed “key” made from anti-microbial plastic for pushing, pulling, and touching surfaces.

Amenities

Coffee and tea service is a little different now (but we think you’ll like it). Instead of serving your own coffee from carafes, we’ll now be offering table service for coffee and tea. Just let Greer, Katelyn, or Melanie know what you’d like and we’ll bring it right to your desk – just like at the coffee shop. We’re also using compostable dishware for the time being, and we’ve paused our sparkling water, happy hours, and shared snacks for now.

You’ll also notice some reduced class schedules and amenities. We’re pausing VIDA PLAY this summer, and we’re limiting the number of folks who can sign up for in-person classes (we’ll still stream classes live on Zoom). Like many other parents, we’re really hopeful that school will be able to resume this fall. However, in the event that closures continue, we’re working on a contingency plan for making sure your little ones can use the space for school work, too.

Another thing we’ve learned over the past few months is that life is full of surprises, and things can change at any time. As things inevitably evolve, we’ll send any new information about our health and safety protocols through our Monday Member updates. If you have any questions, please get in touch. And finally, we just can’t overstate how excited we are to see everybody—from a safe six-foot distance—at VIDA once again.