There has been a fair amount of coverage in the last few months regarding Monkeypox. Monkeypox may be spread from person-to-person through skin-to-skin contact, contact with contaminated items or surfaces, and respiratory droplets.
People with monkeypox are infectious from the time that they develop their first symptoms (which may be a fever or a rash) and until rash lesions crust, dry or fall off.
Often symptoms and rashes will develop in the genital and anal region, an area of the body usually covered by clothing. When a model is engaged for nude drawing, this region is exposed to contact with surfaces. For more information, refer to the Department of Health warning.
The LMS advises models to bring their own fabric to sit on while posing, however this is even more important as the Monkey Pox may be spread by a models sharing contact with a surface, including fabric.
We advise all models to use only fabric they had supplied to sit on, and never to sit on a surface, such as a chair, stool, or the floor, without a fabric barrier between their skin and the surface. We encourage employers of models to help reinforce this behaviour by asking models to use their own fabric for this purpose, and reminding any models who may forget to use fabric.
Regardless of the responsibilities on models to bring and use their own fabric, we ask employers and venues to uphold high standards of hygiene, including wiping down surfaces with anti-bacterial wipes, and washing of fabric used in the venue.
As with transmission of COVID-19 or any other contagious illness, we remind models and artists alike not to attend a class when they are unwell.
Life Models' Society Inc. 