Community Health Update – January, 2023

Over the holidays, we know of about a dozen members or friends who contracted Covid19. We aren’t certain of a single event that caused this, nor are we certain if folks contracted it at church or elsewhere, as we had several gatherings between Solstice, Christmas, and New Years Day. We are glad that nobody has reported severe disease, are grateful for advancements of vaccine protection and treatments, and we hope folks heal well and stay healthy!

As reminder, here are our practices to help care for our communal health:

Community Levels – we will continue to base our masking recommendations from local CDC levels, which you can find here: CDC LEVELS. Our recommendations, posted in the lobby, are updated with county information weekly:

High/Red Level – masks strongly recommended 

Moderate/Orange Level – masks encouraged 

Low/Green Level – masks welcome

We continue to provide online options for worship, forums, and groups. We also stress the importance of communal health practices, including:

Vaccinate – we expect all who are able to stay up to date on vaccines.

Testing – we encourage, and can provide, testing for Sunday speakers or performers.

Stay Home – if you feel ill, have had recent exposure, or feel safer at home, following all CDC recommendations.

Practice Consent  – be mindful of a variety of comfort levels among us, including greeting each other and preferences for masking in small groups.

Communicate – as you are comfortable, let staff know if you are ill, both for us to provide any care or support, as well as help track if we believe there is increased risk in certain events or groups.

We will continue to provide updates to changing conditions as necessary, as we enter the winter season which comes with various risks for illness including covid, influenza, and RSV. We are monitoring both reported numbers and other sources tracking new variants, etc. Please be in touch with any questions or concerns. We are grateful for our collective commitment to care and health. May the new year bring increased health and wellness to all!