Recognizing that if we’ve learned anything from this experience, we have learned to be flexible and willing to adjust community behaviors quickly, the following set of guidelines was adopted by the Church Council at our March 2022 meeting.
These guidelines are based on the Center for Disease Control’s weekly county-by-county maps of the levels of community disease. Now that we are in an endemic state with regard to the coronavirus, the CDC recommendations are not based on eliminating the virus. (See more about how these maps are created here) but they are the clearest, most data-driven way of helping us move into a world of living-with-Covid-19 available to us. These maps are updated each Thursday evening.
The CDC’s map uses three colors, Green, Yellow, and Red, to indicate risk levels. We will tailor our worship service correspondingly:
Green: In-person worship and no restrictions regarding numbers, seating, or singing. Especially in these early months of endemicity, we encourage you to wear a mask as you feel comfortable.
Yellow: In-person worship with restrictions, including mask requirement, every-other pew seating arrangements, and limited singing by a limited number of people.
Red: There will be no in-person worship during a red phase. Worship services will be offered via zoom.
You can check the CDC map yourself here. When the church sends out a newsletter we will make Washington County’s status clear. If the status changes from one color to another, we will send a Friday newsletter with that important information prominently included.
Additionally:
- We will continue to use Zoom to broadcast worship for those of you unable to attend in person. The bulletin will continue to be published online at www.waterburyucc.com/blog/?cat=17
- As always, please be responsible for your own health. If you feel sick or are in any way under the weather, if you have a sore throat, a cough, please attend worship via Zoom.
- Please note that both common sense and numerous recent psychological studies suggest that after two full years of being encouraged in appropriate pandemic behaviors, that transitioning back into non-pandemic behaviors is not easy and will take time. Let us be kind and patient.
We are proud of the extraordinary diligence, understanding, and compassion you all have demonstrated toward one another throughout the pandemic and for the way we have maintained community. We know that will continue. Thank you for respecting and honoring the choices others make about their health.
Please know that we will continue monitoring the data and reading guidelines from appropriate authorities carefully and will adjust our worship plans accordingly.