We have all heard Governor Cuomo’s announcement about lifting capacity restrictions at businesses and removal of masks by now, but keep in mind that as with everything from the government, there is a LOT of fine print.

When it comes to NY businesses like ours, unless 100% of people are vaccinated, and have provided proof, then masks and social distancing are still required. Even if we asked our students to share their vaccine status, and required all of our employees to get vaccinated, we would still need to “segregate” our students into vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups, or exclude non-vaccinated people entirely, including children who are not even eligible for the vaccine.

At this time we are not comfortable requiring our employees to get vaccinated, or requiring our students to prove their vaccination status to us, or excluding any person from taking classes. Therefore, all classes at Cutting Edge Kempo will continue exactly as is until the mandated guidelines change, with both instructors and children remaining masked and socially distant.

Please be aware that the Governor’s new guidelines are interim guidelines, and not permanent policy. We also understand the confusion and that other businesses may or may not adhere to the guidelines, and that some industries have their own guidelines specifically defined by the Governor and other agencies. But our teaching foundation begins with integrity and no matter what is going on around us, we intend on keeping ours intact through these trying times.

Failure on the part of any business to follow these guidelines, including collecting proof of vaccination, continues to leave us open to massive fines, even one of which would cause us to have to close the business for good. For the foreseeable future we will be subject to unannounced inspections both from the Department of Labor and the Department of Health for Suffolk County to ensure we are following all state mandated rules and regulations. We would like to be there for all of you well past this pandemic, so please continue to be patient with us, hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel at this point.

For more information on the Governor’s latest announcement go here.

Thanks for supporting us now and always, see you on the mat!