Re-Opening Task Force Recommendation for Indoor Worship: winter 2020-2021
The first Sunday we hope to use these guidelines is November 15th. We are aware that case numbers and test positivity rates are increasing in our county currently, and a decision will be made on Wednesday, November 11th about whether or not indoor worship will proceed that Sunday.
Current Context, October 2020:
Current positivity rate has been hovering around 3% in Montgomery County for the past 2-3 months. In PA as of October 9th, indoor gatherings are limited to 20% of fire code capacity, so the maximum capacity of the sanctuary is 88 people. (Religious organizations are exempt from this limit but we will voluntarily follow those guidelines.) 88 people is roughly the maximum that can be seated with 6-9 feet between family groups. Our air handlers do introduce some outside air, which is a benefit.
Proposal for winter 2020-2021:
Two out of every three Sundays we continue with pre-recorded, streamed worship on Facebook and YouTube as we have each Sunday since March. This has been very well-received.
Every third Sunday, we hold a live service in the sanctuary which will be streamed live. (There would be no pre-recorded service these weeks.) The expectations for this service would be:
Current positivity rate has been hovering around 3% in Montgomery County for the past 2-3 months. In PA as of October 9th, indoor gatherings are limited to 20% of fire code capacity, so the maximum capacity of the sanctuary is 88 people. (Religious organizations are exempt from this limit but we will voluntarily follow those guidelines.) 88 people is roughly the maximum that can be seated with 6-9 feet between family groups. Our air handlers do introduce some outside air, which is a benefit.
Proposal for winter 2020-2021:
Two out of every three Sundays we continue with pre-recorded, streamed worship on Facebook and YouTube as we have each Sunday since March. This has been very well-received.
Every third Sunday, we hold a live service in the sanctuary which will be streamed live. (There would be no pre-recorded service these weeks.) The expectations for this service would be:
- Limit the participation to those who have not had COVID symptoms in the past three days, and have neither had contact with a positive COVID case nor traveled to a recommended-quarantine state in the past two weeks
- Modifications in the sanctuary:
- 6-9 ft between family groups (every third bench open, which is 9 ft front to back; space family groups in the rows at least 6 feet apart)
- 20 ft from musicians to first occupied bench; one family group singing/playing at a time, with masks. If playing a non-wind instrument and not singing, the space could be decreased and multiple musicians could play together.
- Expectations for during and after worship:
- Masks the whole time for all participants except those speaking from the mic
- No group singing
- The foyer is not to be used except for access to the bathrooms
- Fellowship after worship should take place outdoors with social distancing
- Enter and exit through the Pastors Entrance, carport side
- Those who participate in worship at Salford agree to comply with Montgomery County’s contact tracing efforts in the event that they are exposed to or contract COVID
- Rates of infection in our area surge up (above 5% positivity rate)
- We decide that another plan works better for our worshiping community