Earlier today the SPRC met to talk about COVID protocols and Worship plans in the church. There continues to be a rapid increase of COVID cases in Cuyahoga County. The omicron variant of the COVID is highly contagious and part of caring for one another is to try to stay save and avoid spreading the disease.
Based on recommendation from Dr. Melanie Tyler, we decided to keep Worship virtual until the positivity rate of testing in Cuyahoga County goes below 15%. It is possible to follow positivity rate on Testing | COVID-19 (ohio.gov). It is important to mention that 15% positivity rate is still quite high, and indicates that COVID is still spreading.
This is therefore not the only indicator we will be using. We will pay attention to decisions made by other institutions in the community, and look at the overall spread of COVID, before we go back to in-person worship. When we go back to in-person worship, we will still need to use masks, stay socially distanced, wash our hands, and keep windows open. If you haven’t already, please get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The Virtual Worship will continue to be offered live on Sunday Mornings, with the musician(s), the pastor, a tech person, and perhaps a liturgist in attendance. We will continue to do our best to make the virtual experience as good and meaningful as possible.
This is not a message that I like to send out, but it is the right thing to do at this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me through email, pastor@cleredeemer.org.
I hope and pray you stay safe during these troubling times.
Peace, Justice, and Joy!
Pastor Halldor