Recommendation from NGFM’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group: On August 30, the Meeting on Ministry & Counsel requested that our COVID-19 medical advisors make recommendations about holding selected New Garden Friends Meeting sponsored activities in person.

The undersigned NGFM physicians responded as follows: After signs that NC cases of COVID-19 were leveling off, NC experienced a surge of new cases on Friday October 2. Governor Cooper’s decision to proceed with Phase 3 reopening, arrival of colder weather, and return of children to school will likely have adverse effects on trends in weeks to come, and one study suggests that the virus is undergoing genetic mutations that make transmission more likely. We recommend that NGFM not sponsor in-person activities until local and state statistics provide reassurance that risk of viral transmission throughout our community is low. More information on staying well during the Covid-19 pandemic is available here.

Kathleen Rice, MD, co-clerk; Francis P. Wong, MD; Jennifer Schaal, MD, co-clerk; Jane Foy, MD; Maria Azucena Ibarra-Wong, MD; Fred Wilson, MD; Ron Pudlo, MD