A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN:
ANNOUNCING NEW PROTOCOLS
Friends, I have some good news for you from the Session’s Building Reopening Task Force. As you know, this Task Force has been guiding us throughout the pandemic in terms of our responses to the risk levels of church activities in terms of Covid transmissibility. Its members include people with a range of relevant professional expertise, with particular representation in terms of virology, public health, and medical science and practice.
Most recently, in early January, the Task Force recommended a series of
additional protective protocols for us to follow for any onsite ministries of the church, in response to the startling breadth and speed at which the Omicron variant was spreading at that time.
These additional protocols included: physical distancing of 6 feet in the building between households; closing off every other pew in the Sanctuary, limiting pews to one household, and an end to the choir singing in the Traditional Worship service; and limiting the Contemporary Band to one singer.
At its meeting earlier this week, the Task Force noted that new case rates in Northampton County have fallen almost 90% from the high of the Omricon wave about a month ago. Additionally, most models are predicting a prolonged lull in new infections, given how far and fast Omicron spread among the unvaccinated, unless a new variant arises that changes those dynamics.
As a result, the Task Force has decided that circumstances no longer require the additional protocols put in place for Omicron. Therefore, we are rolling most of those additional protocols back, effective immediately.
I want to stress that a properly fitting mask is still required for all persons, two years old and older, at all times when inside the church buildings. This change is about the additional protocols that were added on top of that in order to protect against the increased risk from Omicron. So, aside from a mask, the only remaining protective protocol from that increased protection is skipping every other pew in the Sanctuary, which the Task Force felt provides a moderate level of decreased risk without any real imposition on worshippers.
In fact, the Task Force has taken the additional step of greenlighting the serving and consuming of food and drink indoors for Hospitality Hour. The requirement will be that, once the Hospitality Hour is reinstituted, people will still wear their masks unless they are actively eating or drinking; at those times, they may remove their mask in order to do so, and replace it when they are done. The Congregational Life Committee is now considering when and how to reinstitute the Hospitality Hour, and once they have had a chance to do so, more information will be forthcoming about that.
I want to thank the members of the Task Force for their ongoing faithfulness and wisdom in doing this hard and sometimes confusing work of helping us navigate the challenges of the pandemic. And I want to thank all of you, the members and friends of this congregation, for your prayers and support as we continue to get through this pandemic together. In the meantime, I look forward to being with you in worship this Sunday!
Grace and Peace,
J.C.