Covid-19 Update: June 18, 2022
Greetings Church family,
Unfortunately, as you may know the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Virginia Department of Health (VDH) have declared Chesterfield County as having a high rate of transmission of Covid-19. Continuing to navigate an appropriate response to this current transmission level remains a high priority for us. As always, our goal as elders is to care for our congregation and promote a safe and encouraging environment where we can grow in our relationships with Christ and with one another.
As a practical means of loving our neighbors and protecting the vulnerable among us, we have been committed to following the guidelines from the CDC and the VDH. Our desire to “love our neighbor” has not changed, and so we continue to encourage observance of these guidelines, especially in light of the recent increase in infections.
So, as a reminder, we wanted to share some of the guidelines, primarily to address two common questions. The first is: “When should a person stay home from our meeting?”, and the second is: “When should a person wear a mask during the meeting?”
Based on the CDC guidelines a person should stay home from the meeting in 3 circumstances:
If diagnosed with Covid-19, you should stay home for at least 5 days after the first day of symptoms. If a fever persists beyond 5 days you should stay home for at least another 24 hours after the fever resolves without fever-reducing medication.
If not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated and you have had close contact with someone who has Covid, you should stay home for 5 days after contact. A negative Covid test on day 5 is recommended before going out of the home.
If you have symptoms of cough, fever, nasal congestion, decrease in smell or taste, headache, or muscle aches suggestive of Covid and not attributed to another health condition, you should stay home for 5 days. Testing for Covid would be recommended in this case as well.
Lastly, if you are up to date with the Covid vaccines or you were diagnosed with Covid-19 within the last 90 days and you come in close contact with an individual with Covid, you do not have to stay home from the meeting, but you should wear a mask in public for 10 days.
Based on the CDC guidelines a person should wear a well-fitting mask during the meeting in the following circumstances:
As long as the disease has a high rate of transmission in the community, you should wear a mask indoors. The rate of transmission for a community can be found on the CDC or VDH websites referenced below.
If you have been diagnosed with Covid, you should wear a mask for 10 days after diagnosis both in the home and while in public.
If you have come in close contact with an individual with Covid and are not vaccinated, you should wear a mask while in public for 10 days after quarantining for 5 days at home.
If you come into close contact with an individual with Covid and are up to date with the Covid vaccines, you should wear a mask for 10 days.
For more detailed guidelines from the CDC, click here or from VDH here.
We therefore humbly recommend, in light of the current increase in infection rates, that we wear masks when indoors. However, we recognize that there is no mask mandate in Virginia and acknowledge respectfully that this is a personal and individual decision. Additionally, as infection rates decrease, we will seek to notify the congregation.
We realize that there are differing opinions among members of our body regarding COVID-19 and the appropriate responses to it. We want to encourage you like Paul encouraged the Ephesian church, to “bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3).
We thank God for each one of you, and for the joy of serving Christ alongside you.
Chris and Josh