I hope this letter finds you blessed and at peace in this time of great uncertainty. I am writing to you today to try to clarify to the best of my ability a few things that I see potentially becoming a stumbling block to our regular Sunday worship.

First, the CDC guidelines concerning COVID-19 and quarantining are relatively clear for the person infected, but rather unclear for households which may have one infected person and several uninfected people. For a person infected with COVID-19 or a person who is ill and has symptoms of being infected, the guidelines are clear. That person immediately goes into self-quarantine after having a test performed and remains in quarantine until the test results are returned. If the test is positive, that person can be with others after at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and at least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and symptoms have improved.

For people who have been in contact with someone who tests positive, it is advised to stay at home for 14 days.

It would seem only prudent and logical that every other member of the household be tested and be vigilant in regards to constantly monitoring their medical condition, looking for signs of COVID-19. If a person has contracted COVID-19 and has recovered, but is in a household with someone who still has an active case of COVID-19, it would be wise to err on the side of caution, stay home and attend the live-stream service that we provide on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am. If communion is requested, we will safely deliver it to you.

The CDC guidance would seem to indicate that fever is the key component to contagion. This is the reason that we take temperatures at the door. We want to keep this procedure of screening at the door as simple as possible, both for you and for the Ushers. Simply put, if you have a fever, stay home. If you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 without a fever, stay home. If there is someone in your household who has an active case of COVID-19 and fever, please err on the side of caution and stay home.

Please understand that we are in uncharted territory, and we are doing the best we can to provide a safe and healthy worship environment for you on Sunday mornings. If there is any doubt in your mind or any questions that need to be answered regarding your attendance on Sunday mornings, please call the church office, (803) 227-2197, or call the Rector, (803) 729-0951.

The opportunities for Christian service during worship have not changed because of the virus. We need Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Lay Readers, Acolytes, Ushers, members of the Altar Guild and, additionally, two 2-person teams to manage the Music/Video Booth which provides music for worship, controls the camera, and live-streams the service to our face book page. Currently, we have three people.

If you are on one of these teams and are not on the schedule, please contact the appropriate team leader if you find that you are able to serve. We also have signup sheets in the Parish Hall. If you are not on one of these teams, but would like to be, please sign up in the Parish Hall giving us your name, contact information and where you would like to serve.

We appreciate your support and cooperation. Please know that we definitely need your prayers as we navigate this difficult terrain of COVID-19.

The Vestry and Fr. Bill are in full agreement on this information. Please consider this the current policy on Covid-19 at St. Mary Magdalene.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Bill

Current Covid-19 Policy