What We Need To Know Now
Continue to use the frequently-updated CDC County Tracker Tool for checking
Community Levels of Risk for any county in the U.S. The tracker tool is also
included on the CDCs How to Protect Yourself page, which provides important
additional information about risk-specific masking, testing, distancing, quarantine,
isolation, etc.
Decisions about preventative precautions such as mask-wearing, physical distancing,
good ventilation, and hand washing in churches, businesses, schools, and other
gathering places remain crucial to our health and well-being. Foremost among
considerations are the many challenges that our immunocompromised, senior,
and vaccine-ineligible neighbors and family members are facing as restrictions
are lifted all around them. We are called to sustain mindfulness and care
for the most vulnerable among us; may our mindfulness inform sound decisions
and actions in this time of new guideline impacts on the most vulnerable.
Individuals need to understand risk levels in their communities to make decisions
not only in their countys context, but also in the context of their
particular health needs and the needs of others for whom they may provide
services, support, direct care, and/or frequent engagement. The personal choice
to wear a mask is always an option for anyone living in Low or Moderate Risk
Communities.
Even as we celebrate the steady decline in new cases and CoVID-19 related
deaths, we must do so with an eye toward preparation and readiness to respond
quickly in the event of another surge. Our familiar practices of mask wearing,
physical distancing, hand washing, and good ventilation not only must be maintained
in High Risk communities and in other contexts deemed essential, but also
must be retained and readily available when needed again.
Re-Entering Well
Throughout this longer-than-anticipated season of disruption and new ways
of being church together, Bishop Easterling and church leaders have stressed
that the safety and health of every person is our priority. Each context is
different, but our shared goal is the same. While requirements for masking
and physical distancing differ from one county to the next, recommendations
from infectious disease experts do not.
CURRENT UPDATES
As we enter the third year of the CoVID-19 pandemic, the Omicron variant and
other developments present challenges for public health that require churches
and other community groups to stay well-informed about the virus spread
and the vaccination rates in their areas. Ella Curry, PhD, MTS, RN, a consultant
in infectious disease, offers important relevant facts and resources to shape
decision making.
This month, Curry provides a snapshot of the journey, encourages churches to use the CDC County Check Widget and the CDC guidelines on How to Protect Yourself and Others, to continue the use of N-95 and KN-95 masks at indoor gatherings and other updates.
NEW! - Dr.
Ella's What We Know Now - March 28, 2022 Covid Update
This is a particularly challenging time for many of us. Attitudes and approaches
to the CoVID-19 pandemic are shifting. Confusion and uncertainty accompany
mixed messages and sometimes contradictory recommendations.
Peninsula-Delaware Conference
Re-Opening Guidelines
Includes checklists and resources for preparing to re-open your church during
the ongoing pandemic
Covid 19 Legal Documents for Chruch Use