Westminster’s Updated Covid Response Plan
August 29, 2022
The Responsible Building Use Task Force met twice in August to review Westminster Presbyterian Church’s current COVID-19 Response Plan and to make adjustments based on the most current Covid data and research. The response plan was updated in April, but in the past four months Covid transmissions rates have decreased and vaccinations are now available to ages six months and older. Therefore, the task force has updated the response plan, changing the previously called Covid “prevention measures” to “mitigation measures” to indicate the COVID-19 virus remains with us and now we must focus on adapting as necessary to mitigate its spread.
Read Westminster’s Living With COVID-19 Response (pdf)
Westminster’s Response Plan continues to call for its mitigation measures to be added and removed in response to the community level risks identified using the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Community Risk Levels Model. However, the mitigation measures are now divided into two categories (low and medium community risk, and high community risk) rather than the previous three categories (low, medium, and high). In addition, as a result of vaccination availability for young children, the task force lessened the mitigation measures in the low/medium category.
Provided Hennepin and Ramsey counties remain in their current low- to medium-risk levels, beginning September 11 the following mitigation measures will go into effect:
- Vaccinations and up-to-date boosters are strongly encouraged, but proof of vaccination is not required at Westminster except for certain staff and volunteer roles.
- Masks are welcomed, but not required, including when singing.
- Handwashing and sanitizing are encouraged, and hand sanitizing stations will be provided.
- Communion plates will be used with pre-packaged, individual servings available.
- Offering plates will be passed.
- Food service will follow safe food handling procedures and hand sanitizing stations will be provided.
If the Covid community-risk level in Hennepin and/or Ramsey counties increases to the high category according to the CDC, then additional mitigation measures will go into effect, which can be read in Westminster’s updated Covid Response Plan (pdf).
