Covid-19 Policy: September 2022
Introduction:
Like all other community organizations, B'nai Havurah has worked hard to navigate the health risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last 2½ years, adjusting and sometimes reversing plans on short notice as we monitored risks and circumstances.
And now, as we navigate a gradual return to normalcy, we find that our work to ensure the safety of our members and friends is driven both by medical science as well as the personal comfort we all feel while facing the uncertain factors presented to us as we continue to safely emerge from an unprecedented situation.
In the policy below, you will see a requirement to wear masks in larger gatherings, which is somewhat of a compromise to appease those uncertainties still felt by many at the same time that we sincerely hope to and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible gathering together in person.
The demographics of our B'nai Havurah community of members and friends are not identical to the at-large population of the Denver area, where most previous safety protocols have been discontinued. As a result, as we prepare for the start of a new Jewish year with larger-than-typical gatherings, we have cautiously to proceed as we continue to make plans to relax those precautions further as the year continues.
With these considerations, along with our desire to offer a welcoming environment to all by striking the best balance between safety and accessibility for the community, the Covid Task Force submitted this revised policy to the Board of Trustees for their consideration. On September 13, the Board of Trustees approved the Covid policy as proposed by the Covid Task Force.
Policy:
The best way to prevent Covid, or minimize its health impacts, is to get vaccinated with an FDA-approved or FDA-authorized vaccine and stay up to date on your vaccines. In addition, everyday preventive actions, such as self-testing and hand-washing, are an effective additional measure to staying healthy and preventing the spread of Covid.
- For the more significant High Holy Day events with more people attending (Rosh Hashanah day 1, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur services), we welcome and hope to see as many of you as possible in person. Still, we ask everyone to respect our policy of wearing masks for the safety and comfort of each other and in consideration of the more significant number of attendees that will be assembling together.
- For these typically larger gatherings, we will make our best efforts to offer safe accommodations, as much as our facilities and capacities allow, for seating, eating, or drinking (e.g., Kiddush after services), including potentially moving such activities outdoors.
- Events that typically draw smaller attendance can follow the same guidelines currently in effect for Shabbat services, where wearing masks is optional, and indoor dining is also allowed for those wishing to partake.
- We will do our best to provide extra seating capacity at these events, including those events with larger attendance, to allow everyone the flexibility to choose their seating locations and seating distance between households in attendance. We may not always be able to offer sufficient seating options, which is why wearing masks will continue to be our best line of defense, second only to the vaccines when gathering in large numbers.
- Access (e.g., Zoom) will continue to be provided for online participation in all of our major High Holy Days events for those who prefer to attend in that manner. Similarly, we will do our best to continue offering Zoom options to as many other events throughout the year as we can, including continuing to offer, at times, online-only events.
- If you show signs of illness or Covid infection, please refrain from attending B'nai Havurah events in person for at least five days and until previously positive Covid tests show negative results. Please voluntarily wear masks after the negative test for at least ten days. (This is in keeping with the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released recently (Click here).
In good health,
The B’nai Havurah COVID-19 Advisory Committee
Members: Ethan Waldman (committee chair), Becky Epstein, Angele Fauchier, Dorothy Lepoff, Ron Lepoff, Jackie Stern Bellow, and Claire Zilber
Resources:
https://www.bethelnr.org/covidpolicies
https://swfs.org/covid-19-policy/
