COVID-19 Guidance

Feb 28, 2021 | Announcements

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COVID-19 Guidance About Places of Worship & Providers of Religious Services

  1. Make a workplace-specific COVID 19 plan at every location and designate a person at each workplace to implement the plan.
  2. Identify contact information for the local health department.
  3. Staff and volunteers must be trained.
  4. Our church must take reasonable measures, including posting signage in a strategic and highly visible location.
  5. Use social media, website, texts, email, etc., to communicate the steps being taken to protect congregants/visitors and staff so that they are familiar with the policies.

 

Checklist

  • Self-screening at home (temperature or symptoms checks using CDC guidelines)
  • If they or their family members have any of these symptoms ( cough, high temperature, sore trough ), they must stay at home.
  • Congregants/visitors should be screened for temperature and/or symptoms upon arrival to church and asked to use hand sanitizer and to wear face coverings.
  • Face covering is strongly recommended. Cover the nose and mouth, and face coverings must not be shared.
  • Avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Face coverings should be washed after each shift
  • Wearing gloves
  • Ensure physical distancing of at least six feet between workers, staff, congregates/visitors, etc.
  • Consider limiting seating to alternate rows. Members of the same household may be seated together but should maintain at least six feet of distance from other households.
  • Dedicating staff to help people maintain distance during activities.
  • Encourage them to keep a distance themselves from others outside their household and leave the facility if they do not feel well.
  • Discourage staff /congregants/visitors from engaging in handshakes, hugs, etc. Take responsible measures to remind people to wave or use other greetings.

 

Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols

  1. Frequently disinfect commonly used surfaces, including doorknobs, toilets, handwashing facilities, pulpits and podiums, donation boxes or plates, altars and pews, and seating areas.
  2. Discourage sharing items used in worship and services (such as prayer books, cushions, prayer rugs, etc.)
  3. Where such items must be shared, disinfect between shifts or uses, whichever is more frequent, including the following items (copiers, fax machines, printers, telephones, etc.,)
  4. Consider more frequent cleaning and disinfecting handwashing facilities that are used more often.
  5. Disinfect microphones and stands, music stands, instruments, and other items on pulpits and podiums between each use. Consult equipment manufacturers to determine appropriate disinfection steps, particularly for soft, porous surfaces like foam mufflers.
  6. Install hand sanitizer dispensers, touchless whenever possible, at entrances and contact areas such as meeting rooms, lobbies, and elevator landings.
  7. Use alternative giving options such as secure drop boxes that do not require opening/closing and can be cleaned and disinfected.
  8. During meetings and services, introduce fresh outside air, for example, opening doors/windows and operating ventilation systems.

 

Considerations for Places of Worship

  1. We cannot continue doing potlucks or similar family-style eating and drinking events that can increase the risk.
  2. If we decide to serve food (it must be served in single-serve containers), employees or volunteers should wash hands frequently and wear disposable gloves and face covering.
  3. We cannot do group recitation, other practices, and performances.
  4. We need to stop doing specifics of particular faith traditions that might encourage the spread of COVID -19, for example, kissing of ritual objects, allowing rites to be performed by fewer people, avoiding using a common cup, providing pre-packed communion items on chairs prior to service, etc.

 

Kids

Children should remain in the care of those in their household unit and not interact with children of other parties at any time while visiting facilities. Close play areas and discontinue activities and services for children where physical distancing of at least six feet cannot be maintained.

 

Necessary Items

  • Hand sanitizer
  • Gloves
  • Masks
  • Soap /paper towel

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