Not Restrictions - Protections

Not Brain fog - Brain damage

Not Mild - Deadly

Not Inevitable - Preventable

Masks Are Not "A Scarlet Letter;" an "Annoyance;" or a Political Statement - A good, well-fitting mask, worn properly, can make a difference between getting and spreading COVID-19. The more people who wear masks with good seals, the safer the space.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky says: "You don't need to wait for CDC's recommendation, certainly, to wear a mask." 

The congregation has voted to make masks optional in designated areas when the CDC's community level tracker is "Green." When our community level goes up to "Yellow," an e-mail will go out as soon as possible before a scheduled service to let people know that masks are required and signs will be posted at entrances. *

The last four pews on either side of the aisle in the nave and all of the balcony are mask optional. Masks are required if you sit forward of the last four pews on either side of the nave and when you come up to Holy Communion, to receive a blessing/ashes, or to make an announcement, etc., and/or serve in the chancel or sacristy (assisting minister, lector, acolyte/communion assistant, keyboardist, altar guild member, etc.). Please mask if you use the parents and infants/kids' room and/or attached bathroom or the downstairs bathrooms, which are shared spaces.

Good fitting NIOSH approved respirators (N95s) and masks (KN95s/KF94s) are recommended. The church provides masks for children and adults free of charge, which are available on the table beneath the windows in the narthex.

Mindful that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is an airborne BioSafety Level 3 (BSL-3) pathogen, windows will be open whenever the weather allows and air filters will be running in the nave and chancel, according to CDC guidelines.

If you have been exposed or think you may have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, please stay home and test. Rapid Antigen Test negatives are less trustworthy with the current variants, so test several times over a period of days. Call your doctor if you develop symptoms. Wear a mask whether you have symptoms or not if you can't avoid going out. If you get sick, please don't assume that "It's just a cold." (I don't want to catch someone's cold, either.) Remember, even asymptomatic people can infect others with COVID-19, be they family, friends, foes or strangers, leading to severe illness, disability and/or death. If you test positive, make sure you report it and try to get a PCR test for your possible future benefit. And, please, asymptomatic or ill, but especially the latter, rest as much as you can. Thank you.

* In February 2022, the CDC changed the tool they use to determine community levels. It is now based on hospitalizations rather than transmissions. For instance, community levels are actually mostly high, in the yellow, orange and red zones, when transmissions are factored in, artificially low when it is based on hospitalizations. That is why masks, ventilation and air filtration are all so important in protecting yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues and school friends, etc. from COVID-19.