Last week, most of us were shocked to hear the Centers for Disease Control say that vaccinated people can just stop wearing masks and, for the most part, stop being concerned about distancing. At least that is what I heard.
My initial reaction was such relief, but then I began hearing questions about that new guidance.
Even in an era when the formal vehicles for decision making are committed to truth and science…and reasonableness, we are clearly still struggling for clarity in this changing public health environment.
Though overall the trajectory of the pandemic is toward a return to whatever normal will become, the new guidance is not quite as good as it initially seemed.
Here is what Dr. Anthony Fauci offered, after the confusion surrounding the CDC statement (https://www.axios.com/fauci-mask-covid-cdc-guidance-30bd0552-e9d3-43e0-93e4-2ae02ae9ec61.html):
“I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It’s not,”
“It’s an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors.” Even vaccinated folks should continue to mask in health care settings, houseless shelters, prisons and public transport.
Again from Fauci: “It did not explicitly say that unvaccinated people should abandon their masks.”
He spoke of the likely need for a booster for vaccinated folks. And the need to for all of us to mask on airplanes for some time.
I am preparing myself for the path back toward re-opening to be jerky, preparing myself to hold my yearnings in check and preparing myself for the need for mindfulness to be with me, and with us, for some time.
At the church, we have asked a group of medical and public health professionals from the congregation (now retired) to advise us as we plan for regathering our community in the fall. I did not want to be the person charged with interpreting the CDC or the Oregon rules or for determining the wisest course to take when the guidance is not crystal clear.
This Public Health Team has already been extremely helpful. From their first advice that September re-gathering was a “definite maybe,” they now believe that September will likely allow a mostly “back to normal” approach for vaccinated folks. And that advice, from just last week, preceded the CDC announcement. What will be required of and for unvaccinated folks who can have good reason for not being vaccinated, is less clear. Questions also remain about how to deal with young children and their families.
There will almost certainly be additional developments in the pandemic as vaccinations increase, and we expect the official guidance to continue to change. We have almost four months before we plan to regather in our buildings.
Between now and then, there are ways to gather in groups, small or not so small, outdoors during the warm weather. Some of you are already doing and planning some of that. Some groups of vaccinated folks are already gathering indoors.
The Public Health Team will also meet with the Executive Team in August to help us with final decision-making about re-gathering plans.
Most important, I want you all to know how seriously we take our duty of care for those who gather as, and for the church. But we will also respond to the flexibility that reduced restrictions allow.
This Sunday you will notice that no one on the chancel will be masked, even when not speaking or singing. We are all vaccinated and all comfortable with each other without masking. Some of us began this after the CDC announcement last week. We’ve also removed the plexiglass barriers in front of the singers and moved a bit closer to one another.
Those changes may feel a bit strange at first. We have taken the need for care so seriously, moving back will be a process of giving up some of the behaviors we have relied on, without giving up attention to safety. This will be a journey that we welcome, a journey to renewed hope.
See you in church.
Bill