Prudence and abundant caution
require continuing restrictions
on in-person activities
When will it be safe to resume holding Meeting-related activities in person?
The answer, according to New Garden’s COVID-19 medical advisors, is not yet. And it remains unclear when it will be safe to do so.
After signs that North Carolina’s cases of COVID-19 were leveling off, the state experienced a surge of new cases last week. Governor Cooper’s decision to proceed with Phase 3 reopening, the arrival of cooler temperatures, and the return of children to school classrooms likely will have adverse effects on containing the disease. More worrisome is one study that suggests that the virus is undergoing genetic mutation that makes it even easier to transmit from person to person.
For this reason, our COVID-19 medical advisors recommend that New Garden Friends Meeting not sponsor any in-person activities until state and local statistics indicate that the risk of viral transmission in Guilford County is significantly lower.
Until such time as we can resume more normal activities, the Meeting on Ministry & Counsel urges members and attenders to take part in virtual meetings for worship, committee meetings and Religious Education activities. Consider taking part in Friend to Friend, a program that encourages weekly conversations, by phone or other electronic means, between two households over a 4- to 5-week period. The next series will begin in mid to late October. See the October 13 newsletter for more information.
All New Gardeners must consider for themselves the risks and benefits of in-person contact with non-household members.
To assist our community in making these decisions, our COVID-19 medical advisors have put together a range of fact-based precautionary recommendations. These recommendations represent the most current scientific and medical thinking on coping with the pandemic and limiting its spread. Those recommendations are available here.
October 6, 2020