For years I have been able to avoid the Sars-CoV2 virus that causes Covid 19. I am fully vaccinated (including a booster), I wear a KN95 mask or a P100 respirator in public, including at our Popup events, and am diligent about keeping the studio clean.
In my personal life, I have basically lived in isolation to protect my mother, whom suffers from COPD and asthma. Beyond seeing and caring for her, seeing my Sister and Brother-in-law (whom are also vaccinated), and the very rare small get together with friends that are also fully vaccinated (and tested prior to the event) I don’t leave home much.
And as I said, for almost 3 years this has kept me and my family safe from Covid19. Until today.
Late last week my Brother in Law became ill with Covid. He promptly quarantined, but as you probably know you can spread the virus before being symptomatic. Unfortunately, my Sister had recently spent time with my Mother to take her to a medical appointment. She was not sick, and didn’t not know that her husband was incubating the virus.
2 days later, she became ill as well, and shortly after that, my mother fell ill and was hospitalized. And since my Sister was already ill, whom do you think took my mother to the hospital to be treated? Yep, yours truly.
Granted, I was in my P100 respirator. If you aren’t familiar with that device, imagine the bulky face masks that painters wear. You know, the ones with the big filers on either side of their face? That’s basically the one. They are more effective and efficient than and N95, from my research (but I am not a scientist or medical expert so don’t take that as gospel), and I already had several in the studio that I use while working with certain tools to protect my lungs. I hoped this would keep me safe from contracting the virus from my mother.
However, no mask will save you from past behaviors, and I had been in my mother’s presence the day before, without a mask, helping her in her apartment. Neither of us knew she was contagious.
So when I woke up this morning (1/19/22 to be exact) with chest discomfort and post nasal drip, my heart sank. As time went on, my symptoms have increased to include a mild fever, and general tiredness.
Could I be sick with something other than Covid19? Certainly! Is that likely? Sadly, no. Am I willing to risk the health of my clients, and the rest of my family? Absolutely not.
With that being said, I’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to temporarily close the studio at least until Monday, January 24th 2022 so that I may quarantine and reduce the chances of spreading the virus further.
What does this mean for you? Well, you will notice that the Chat function has disappeared for now. I have turned it off to avoid disappointing someone looking for a quick response. You can still contact me via the Contact form, but it may take a day or two for me to respond. I WILL respond though.
You can still place orders, and I would encourage you to do so! Your order will just ship a few days later than normal, as shipping will be suspended until I can safely reopen the studio.
I’ll continue to update this post as things progress and change, and as always I appreciate your support of Serenity in Chains and our community. Without you, we wouldn’t be making the world a kinder and sexier place!
Stay safe, be healthy, feel sexy and I’ll see you as soon as I return to the studio!
1/20/22 UPDATE: I have officially tested Positive for Covid-19. Per the CDC guidelines I will be in isolation for 5 days from today, which will put the studio reopening 1/26/22. After which I will be wearing a mask and sanitizing each piece before it leaves the studio (an extra precaution).
1/24/22 UPDATE: I am continuing to recover from Covid, and am feeling much better than the day I was diagnosed. I am confident that the studio will be able to fully reopen 1/26/22, and I look forward to getting your orders out to you, and working on new designs! Thank you so much for being incredibly patient while I have been sick!
1/256/22 UPDATE: I have fully reopened! thank you so much for being patient with me while I recovered!
