Making
Choices About Returning to Activities in Church Buildings
(This document also appears at the end of the document "Emerging into the 'New Normal')
As
a community of Christian disciples, we are concerned about the safety of all
those who contribute and take part in our shared life. Some are employed or
paid stipends as office holders, many are volunteers, more are participants. We
are expected to have particular responsibilities towards those we pay, but
others may also value guidance about the choices involved in returning to
activities in church buildings.
We
are familiar with risks that have been around for a while, but COVID-19 is a
new risk and we are still learning about who may be affected most. Already we
know that certain groups of people are at greater risk than others. The
Government has categorised some people into groups:
·
the
clinically extremely vulnerable. The guidance for people who fall into
this group may be different in Wales and Scotland and other jurisdictions, but the
serious consequences of catching COVID-19 are the same. We assume they will
still be cautious about gathering indoors with people from a number of
households.
·
the
clinically vulnerable, which includes all people over 70 and
those with underlying health conditions.
Other
groups have also been identified as more evidence about the effects of the
virus is gathered. We may not know which individuals will catch COVID-19, but
we can use some of the information about the risk of complications to help with
the conversations people will have about returning to gatherings.
At the time of writing
it is not clear whether surviving catching the virus gives immunity or for how
long such immunity might last.
As well as trying to
assess the risks of catching the virus and the appropriate action to take, we
recognise that our attitude to risk varies: the risk that one person may be
willing to take is too much for another. Living with someone who is at higher
risk, affects the risks other household members are willing to take. When we are
talking about gathering together, we need to be sensitive to these variations.
When we are coping with new risks we may also be more sensitised to them in
comparison to risks that we have coped with for many years. However, government
policy is related to the general risk for the population which goes down as the
number of the people with the virus goes down, whilst the potential impact of
catching the virus for a vulnerable individual remains the same until there are
additional treatments and a vaccine.
When the lockdown
restrictions were imposed, ministers were designated as key workers because of
the fears of COVID-19 resulting in many more funerals. Some churches have also
helped with essential food distribution or other essential services and
ministers and volunteers have been involved in this work. The URC so far has
echoed Government advice that ministers should work from home where possible. As
restrictions change, it is time for ministers, volunteers and participants to
consider their risks.
Catching the virus depends on the amount of virus you are
exposed and for how long, and the risk of that happening during any activity
depends on the circumstances. Those who are responsible for your church
building will have been thinking about reducing these risks using ‘Emerging
into the New Normal’. There is evidence about which groups are at risk of more
serious consequences if they do have COVID-19 disease and you can weigh up
these personal risks.
The
assessment ‘tool’ below helps you to see how different risk factors may combine
to give serious health complications should you catch the COVID-19 virus. It
does not include the factors that may make you clinically extremely vulnerable,
where you should be following the guidance for those who are ‘shielding’. It
includes the factors where there is significant statistical evidence but does
not include any rarer conditions which you may have, so this only offers a
starting point. You may want to discuss the results with your doctor or with
those who have expectations about your involvement with church life.
This
should be read alongside other government or local advice about staying safe.
We are not claiming medical expertise in sharing this way of scoring your risk
but giving a way to show how serious catching the virus may be for you.
Circle the score next
to each one that applies to you and add up your score.
|
Risk Factor
|
Score
|
|
|
Age
|
50-59
|
1
|
|
60-69
|
2
|
|
|
70-79
|
4
|
|
|
80 and
over
|
6
|
|
|
Sex at
birth
|
Male
|
1
|
|
Ethnicity
|
Caucasian
Black
African Descent
Indian
Asian Descent
Filipino
Descent
Other
(including mixed race)
|
0
2
1
1
1
|
|
Diabetes
& Obesity
|
Type 1
& 2
Diabetes
Type 1 & 2 with presence of microvascular complications or
HbA1c≥64mmol/mol
Body Mass Index greater than or equal to 35 kg/m2
|
1
2
1
|
|
Cardiovascular
disease
|
Angina,
previous heart attack, stroke or cardiac intervention
Heart
Failure
|
1
2
|
|
Pulmonary
(lung) disease
|
Asthma
Non-asthma
chronic pulmonary disease
Either
of the above requiring oral corticosteroids in the last year
|
1
2
1
|
|
Malignant
neoplasm (cancer)
|
Active
malignancy
Malignancy
in remission
|
3
1
|
|
Rheumatological
conditions
|
Active
treated conditions
|
2
|
|
Immuno-suppressant
therapies
|
Any indication
|
2
|
|
Total Score
|
|
|
A score of under 3 indicates a lower risk, but you should
still be following the guidance for staying safe.
A score of 3-5 suggests a greater risk and you should
consider ways of reducing your risk by taking additional precautions or
avoiding some activities
A score of 6 or more suggests a high risk and indicates
that you should continue to work or participate in church life from your home.
Risk Stratification tool for
Healthcare workers during the CoViD-19 Pandemic; using published data on
demographics, co-morbid disease and clinical domain in order to assign
biological risk: David Strain, JanuszJankowskiAngharadaviesPeterEnglishEllisFriedmanHelenaMcKeownSuSethi, MalaRao
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