How We're Gathering: Covid Protocols
Our primary focus at St. Paul's is to ensure that we are making space to connect with one another in ways that are safe and that allow us to continue to build the relationships that are vital to our life as a community.
We are gathering in many ways both online as well as in-person.
You can join us online on Sunday mornings - live at 8:30 a.m. or watch at any point later in the day. You can also join us online every evening as we end each day with online Compline Prayer. There are many other gatherings and meetings that are happening online! Check our calendar for more details.
You are also welcome to join us in-person on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. - note that we are following the Covid guidelines outlined below for all of our in-person gatherings.
We hope that you can join us either online or in-person (or both!) and we look forward to continuing to connect and build the relationships that make St. Paul's such a special community.
Current Covid Guidelines
On August 16, Bishop Harris sent us a new set of Covid guidelines which take the current transmission rates and Delta variant into consideration. According to the tools on the CDC website, the Virus is now in a high transmission level zone in Middlesex county and the greater Boston area.
The new guidelines solidify much of what our own protocol (developed by our regathering committee and vestry) has been all along, with only slight changes. We encourage you to read Bishop Harris' letter and guidelines in full, but we will also give you a few highlights.
- Required: Masks and 6' distance between households for all indoor gatherings regardless of vaccination status (except for children age 2 and under).
- Required: COVID vaccination for all lay and ordained ministers working (in-person) with children and vulnerable individuals.
- Covid vaccination is encouraged for all individuals as it becomes available to you unless your physician has advised against it. That said, attendance at services and gatherings is never contingent on vaccination status. As always, all are welcome.
- We will continue to offer communion, but only the bread. The Lay Eucharistic Minister will receive wine on behalf of us all, or we will pour the wine into the ground. Occasionally, we will have individually packaged communion cups.
We have seen each other through the ups and downs of the past 18 months and we will continue to do so. Please reach out if you need anything in this continued time of adaptation, frustration, and innovation!
