Re-opening information
On May 8th the first round of reopening Pennsylvania will begin. In the Allegheny Synod, this move from the “Red Phase” to the “Yellow Phase” will take place in Clearfield and Centre counties. On May 15th Bedford, Blair and Cambria counties will move to "Yellow Phase."
The Centers for Disease Control, recommends that businesses and institutions who decide to reopen implement a screening for those who come on the premises. The point of the screening is to protect the church or business from liability and to aid in contact tracing if an outbreak were to occur in your congregation. Rather than having you take the temperature of all who enter the building, this screening form can offer a safety check before you have group meetings. This is a sample screening form. Though it is tedious, the recommendation is that individuals who come to the building should complete a form, those forms should be kept in the church for 6 weeks, after which they can be shredded.
Information on this recommendation can be found on the CDC website
Additional links and information from the CDC, PA Dept of Health, and OSHA are below.
This Risk Assessment Tool is provided by the PA Department of Health. It can be helpful in discerning what steps to take in your congregation.
In addition to this recommendation, the CDC and DOH continue to recommend social distancing which would include refraining from passing the peace, shaking hands, and physical contact for the immediate future.
This is simply more information for us to consider. We want to provide you with as much information as we can while we continue to walk in this time of Covid 19.
God bless you,
Bishop Michael