Protocol as of March 2022 

Santa Clara county has lifted it's indoor masking mandate. However, both the County and the Council strongly recommend that we all continue to wear  masks in indoor public settings and it is required for unvaccinated individuals. As always, those who feel unwell for any reason or test positive for Covid or other respiratory infections should stay home.

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Protocol as of January 2022 

In response to the prevalence of the highly contagious omicron Covid variant in our community, the PACRC Re-opening Task force and Council request that you adopt the following recommendations based on information from the CDC and county health officials:

 

1. Upgrade from cloth masks to disposable masks. These will be provided in the foyer in both adult and pediatric sizes.

 

1. Remain masked outdoors during fellowship times when not actively eating or drinking. Food and beverages will only be served outside, weather permitting. Sadly, this means that coffee service during Sunday School will be suspended until the new case count declines to an acceptable range.

 

1. Try to maintain a 6 foot distance during worship services. For example, choose seating that isn’t directly in front of or behind another person or group. To facilitate this the chairs will be spaced out more generously and signs will be placed to keep some spaces open.

 

1. If you should test positive for Covid it would be appreciated if that information could be shared with the congregation in a confidential manner.  To that end, please notify Pastor Rich or an elder who will then direct the church administrator to send out a generic exposure notice.

 

While these additional measures are intended to reduce the risk of contracting Covid during worship times it’s important to note that all public gatherings assume risk and each of us should thoughtfully consider whether it is best for us to attend in person.  As always, anyone who is feeling unwell should stay home.

 

 

Protocol as of August 2021 

In light of the new county mask requirements and the current data on transmission of the Delta variant, please note the following changes:

• Masks are required at all times indoors.

• Masks are required outdoors while singing.

The below protocol from June 15 is otherwise in effect.

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Protocol as of June 2021 

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     In response to new guidance from the California state government on June 15, the Reopening Task Force has re-evaluated a few procedures to advance the process of reopening and resuming in-person operations. The following changes were recommended to Council, with the purpose of allowing closer fellowship and worship together while still providing safety accommodations for attendees who may not be vaccinated.

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Here are some notable changes to our Sunday morning procedures, which may be used for any other in-person gatherings:

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• Masks are no longer required when outside the church building. Masks are still required inside for any person who is not fully vaccinated.

• Singing may resume indoors again.

• Coffee fellowship may be held outside, once a new service schedule can be organized. We recommend that servers (if any) wear a mask while serving coffee and snacks. We will assess indoor coffee fellowship at a future time, as the need arises or restrictions can be further lifted.

• Offerings will be taken during the worship service on Sunday mornings again.

• Passing the peace (mutual greetings) will again be a part of our services, although we encourage low-contact methods (e.g. peace sign, elbow bump) similar to flu season.

• Check-in forms are no longer required.

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Here are some things that are not changing, or which we are clarifying:

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• Nursery facilities are open for families to watch their own children during the service, but the congregation will not staff the nursery during the service. We will revisit this in the Fall to consider providing staffing for the nursery.

• PACRC will continue to provide hand sanitizer and masks for attendees

• Seating will continue to be distanced; vaccinated people may sit with people outside their family group. We may set out more chairs as desired, but will provide distancing as practical as a simple risk mitigation for unvaccinated people.

• Audio recordings of the whole service will continue to be uploaded to the church website at the conclusion of each service

• Congregational prayer will not have live requests; please send prayer requests via email as before. We plan to revisit this when we are all worshipping together inside, as the indoor/outdoor spaces make live prayer requests difficult to hear and see for all.

• Iglesia Apostolica and any other organization using our space may gather in-person, provided that they follow all regulations.

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The below COVID-protocol items also remain in effect:

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Self screening: If you have had either of these two experiences in the 14 days prior to the service, please do not attend.

• Close contact with an individual confirmed or suspected of having active COVID-19

• A positive COVID-19 test

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If you’ve experienced any of the following symptoms in the 48 hours before Sunday, please stay home.

• Fever or chills

• Headache, muscle or body aches

• Cough, congestion, or runny nose

• New loss of taste or smell

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If you don’t feel well on Sunday morning for any reason, please stay home.

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Arrival time: Please plan to arrive no later than 10:20 to ensure that all participants can be checked in and seated by 10:30am.

 

Seating: After checking in, participants may seat themselves inside or outside. Ushers will be in attendance to assist if needed.

 

Bring a sweater: If the weather is cool the worship center will be chilly as well since all the doors will remain open to facilitate airflow.

 

Bathrooms: Bathrooms will be open for single occupancy use only. Please knock or check verbally to make sure the bathroom is free before entering. Follow hand washing guidance. Cleaning supplies and gloves will be available. If you would like to perform additional cleaning follow the instructions on the product containers.

 

Please email any questions to info@pacrc.org