January 27, 2023

Community COVID Risk Assessment by CDC, as of 1/27/23: Community Level (low, medium, high): LOW. Community Transmission (low, moderate, substantial, high): MODERATE.

Our policy statement was: “We will consider moving to optional masking when the community level has been low and the transmission level is low or moderate for at least two weeks.”

HOORAY!!!! The pandemic has receded to our threshold for action, and we will now move to “the wearing of masks in the RVUUF building is optional.” This means that this Sunday, attendees at our Sunday Worship Service will have the option of wearing or not wearing masks, as they consider appropriate.

This change in policy comes with some caveats:

• “Masking is optional” means everyone gets to make their own choice. Commenting on someone else’s choice should be considered to be impolite.
• If you have a positive COVID test, please watch the service from home.
• If you have symptoms of COVID or of Influenza (runny or stuffy nose, sneezes, sore throat, cough, fever), please watch the service from home or remain masked while you are at RVUUF.
• If you feel particularly vulnerable, based on age or other health risk, please consider watching the service from home or wearing an N-95 (or equivalent) mask to protect yourself. COVID is still spreading in the community.
• Social distancing is still a reasonable consideration. Remember, too, that people may change their minds about the “hug, no hug” buttons based on it being mask optional.

We are entering a new stage in our “new normal” at RVUUF. Because we may see new variants of either the Coronavirus or the Influenza virus at any time, and because these viruses are potentially dangerous to particularly vulnerable members of our community, avoiding the spread of these diseases becomes a two-part effort. Those of us who are vulnerable should be allowed to protect themselves without stigma or comment from others. And those who may be communicable should take on the responsibility to be sure that they are not exposing others.

COVID is not gone. An average of 14 new cases of COVID were reported in Jackson County each day last week, and 4 people died of COVID in the last week in Jackson County.