Reopening Plan

July 2020
Meeting at Community Place, 145 Parsells Ave, Rochester NY 14609

Overview

At the end of 2019 a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 was found to cause the disease COVID-19. Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was discovered, it has caused a pandemic with over 400,000 deaths worldwide, and it has also led to significant interruptions in daily life around the world. Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is still occurring in our community and will require significant changes to church life to provide a safe environment for worship. Since the primary method of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be person to person via respiratory droplets, the wearing of masks and social distancing of 6 feet is important to keeping our congregation healthy (1). 

Goals

  1. The goal of this document is to provide a policy for NCF Beechwood church meetings while SARS-CoV-2 is endemic in our community. 

    1. Entrance screening

    2. Changes in service 

    3. Hygienic protocol

Entrance Screening

Recommendations for Attendance

We recommend that households with members who are considered high risk for severe illness due to COVID-19 forgo the in-person service and continue to worship via our digital service. 

According to the CDC, people considered high risk for severe COVID-19 illness includes any of the following:

  • People 65 years and older.

  • People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.

  • People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including: People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma.

  • People who have serious heart conditions.

  • People who are immunocompromised. Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications.

  • People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher).

  • People with diabetes.

  • People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis.

  • People with liver disease.

Entryway Triage

  • A triage volunteer will be present at a triage desk in the Community Place entryway (or outside weather permitting) to screen entry into the building. This triage volunteer will be wearing a face mask and protective eyewear.

  • Congregants entering the building will be asked if they have the following acute symptoms or know of suspected COVID-19 exposure:

      • Fever or chills

      • Cough or shortness of breath

      • If they have had any known or suspected exposure to someone with COVID-19 within the past 2 weeks

      • If a congregant responds affirmative to any of these questions, then they will be asked to not enter the building, informed of our digital service offerings, and instructed to call their primary care physician (PCP) for further management

  • Triage volunteers will provide a face mask if the congregant did not bring their own and ask entering congregants to use the provided hand sanitizer. Markings on the floor and signage will keep 6 feet of social distance between entering family units. 

  • Our church does not have access to hospital grade infrared thermometers, therefore our entry screening will be limited to symptom and exposure based questioning. 

  • Pre-service registration will occur via emailed poll to ensure that the number of people attending the service does not exceed capacity. 

Changes in Service

  • Attendees, while on the premises, should avoid contact with others outside their household. They also must maintain 6-foot social distancing at all times (including during entry and exit from the gym).

  • Attendees will be required to wear face masks or medical face coverings before entering the building. 

  • Masks must be worn at all times. Following CDC guidance, children under 2 years of age are not required to wear a mask. (*Exceptions will only be made for people who are preaching and vocalists on the music team).

  • No community food or drink will be allowed. 

  • Use of the water fountains is prohibited. 

  • Only one person in the restroom at a time (Except for those who need assistance). 

  • No passing of the offering plate. A receptacle will be available for giving on Sunday and online giving will be available.

  • No communion is planned for when we first start meeting. However, it may be initialized in the future if a hygienic way to distribute the elements is determined.  

  • No congregational singing. Musical worship will be limited to socially-distanced members of the music team. 

  • Family units will be dismissed from the gym in an orderly fashion, maintaining social distancing. 

  • No public access to the kitchen area. 

  • Nursery will not be provided.

Hygienic Protocol

  • Meeting area will be sanitized before and after the service. Areas to be sanitized will include all surfaces that are touched or might have been touched. (2) Touched surfaces will be cleaned with an EPA approved sanitizer with proven effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2.

  • Microphones will be sanitized before and after each use. (2)

  • Offering counters will use gloves and continue to wear face masks for counting the offering. Counted cash, coins, and checks will be placed in a plastic bag. (2)


References 

(1)- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprepare%2Ftransmission.html

(2) - City of Rochester’s “Reopening the Doors”

Worship Service Survey

After reading our Reopening Plan above, please complete the below survey letting us know where you would like to worship at this time.