Is it safe to go to church in a pandemic or to go to other religious services? Your guide

Just as a financial budget helps you determine what your spending limits are, a ‘coronavirus budget’ can help you determine where your limits are in terms of potentially risky activities – including religious services, she said.

“If you are vaccinated, increase your budget now,” Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, told George Washington University.

“You can do a lot more, but you still can not do everything. So, you still have to choose the things that are most important to you, that have the highest value. For example, if it is important for you to return to personal church services, and do not eat indoors every night in restaurants. ‘

Some churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship offer virtual or outdoor services. If you do attend personal services indoors because unvaccinated people are still at greater risk, vaccinated and non-vaccinated people should still ‘follow the recommended public health measures (by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),’ the dr. Ada Stewart, a GP at Cooperative Health in Columbia, South Carolina, and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

This includes following the guidance of your local Department of Public Health or Government. Wear a mask, stay at least 6 meters away from people not living in your household and avoid spaces that are poorly ventilated. Well-ventilated areas can open windows and doors and use window fans. They also have well-functioning ventilation systems and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter systems that improve air cleaning.

Try sitting near an open window or door, or choose a service where people want to sing less, Wen said. To sing, it may be necessary to make your voice louder and louder, which will increase the risk of spreading coronavirus through the air. Wash your hands before and after the service for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water, or use a hand cleaner.

Ask your house of worship if it is regularly cleaned, with soap or detergent, surfaces that are frequently touched, such as pews, pens or plates. You can bring cleaning cloths if needed. The risk of becoming infected with coronavirus by touching infected surfaces is generally low, the CDC said, but the chances depend on several factors, including the infection rate in your community. The likelihood of surface transfer can be further reduced by wearing masks and hand wash properly.

The CDC has recommended a number of steps to reduce the potential risk of sharing material: Avoid or limit the use of shared objects such as pens, hymns, religious texts, bulletins, or other worship aids. Ask if your church can copy prayers, songs and texts or display or project them electronically.

Houses of worship can also use stationary collection boxes as offerings instead of passing on a basket, or accepting contributions online. If food is offered at or after the services, choose pre-packaged food instead of buffet or pot meals if possible.

If you have children, the CDC has also provided resources to prevent the spread of coronavirus in childcare. Whether the children should attend Sunday school depends on the environment, Wen said.

“It should be enforced at all times to be masked, ideally (6 feet),” she said.

“Outside is much better than inside,” Wen added. “If it’s inside, it should at least be in a well-ventilated space. We should consider the Sunday school as the regular school, that is, the transfer can be quite low if the right mitigation measures are followed.”

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