Next Steps Procedure
Borderlands Unitarian Universalist
Pandemic Response Team Recommendations to Board of the Directors
Next Steps Procedure
Approved and adopted by BUU Board: March 16, 2021
Purpose
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now seeing hopeful signs of improvement in the local public health situation. We need to plan for our first step to resume in-person BUU activities, and we need to decide on the criteria for determining when to do so.
Our Next Step
We recommend that our first step in resuming in-person BUU-sponsored activities be to allow small gatherings outdoors on the BUU property. The guidelines that were specified in the Operations Guidelines During Pandemic, which the Board approved November 21, 2020, should apply.
Metrics for Decision-making
We recommend that the decision to take the step described above be based on the Pima County COVID-19 Progress Report (https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=568644). This report is provided by the Pima County Public Health Department. It looks at 9 categories of public health data and rates them, with a “stop-light” color assigned to each:
The statistical basis for each rating is referenced on the web page. These use local scientific data from trusted sources.
We recommend that we take our first step in resuming in-person BUU-sponsored activities when all 9 categories are rated Green. Judy Harmer has volunteered to check these metrics each Thursday.
Communications to Congregation
We recommend that our plans and metrics be communicated to the Congregation clearly. Possible methods for so doing would include a special BUUB email to explain the plan, subsequent BUUBs stating the current level of risk according to the metrics, and a link to the Pima County COVID-19 Progress Report on the BUU website.
Rolling Back
We recommend that the Board be prepared to resume restrictions on BUU-sponsored in-person gatherings if the ratings for any of the 9 categories return to Yellow or Red ratings.
Additional Comments and Considerations
Pandemic Response Team Recommendations to Board of the Directors
Next Steps Procedure
Approved and adopted by BUU Board: March 16, 2021
Purpose
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now seeing hopeful signs of improvement in the local public health situation. We need to plan for our first step to resume in-person BUU activities, and we need to decide on the criteria for determining when to do so.
Our Next Step
We recommend that our first step in resuming in-person BUU-sponsored activities be to allow small gatherings outdoors on the BUU property. The guidelines that were specified in the Operations Guidelines During Pandemic, which the Board approved November 21, 2020, should apply.
Metrics for Decision-making
We recommend that the decision to take the step described above be based on the Pima County COVID-19 Progress Report (https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=568644). This report is provided by the Pima County Public Health Department. It looks at 9 categories of public health data and rates them, with a “stop-light” color assigned to each:
- Red = Criteria Not Met
- Yellow = Progress
- Green = Criteria Met
The statistical basis for each rating is referenced on the web page. These use local scientific data from trusted sources.
We recommend that we take our first step in resuming in-person BUU-sponsored activities when all 9 categories are rated Green. Judy Harmer has volunteered to check these metrics each Thursday.
Communications to Congregation
We recommend that our plans and metrics be communicated to the Congregation clearly. Possible methods for so doing would include a special BUUB email to explain the plan, subsequent BUUBs stating the current level of risk according to the metrics, and a link to the Pima County COVID-19 Progress Report on the BUU website.
Rolling Back
We recommend that the Board be prepared to resume restrictions on BUU-sponsored in-person gatherings if the ratings for any of the 9 categories return to Yellow or Red ratings.
Additional Comments and Considerations
- We have deliberately not based our recommendations on the vaccination status of members and friends. Our focus is on rebuilding our beloved community in a safe, caring, and inclusive manner, in keeping with our Mission and Covenant. Limiting in-person gatherings to those who have been vaccinated would exclude those who have not been able to be vaccinated due to age, medical condition, availability, mobility, or luck. This would divide our community into “haves” and “have nots”. We do not know yet whether the current vaccines protect against virus variants, and we also do not want to need enforcers to implement our guidelines. If the vaccines are effective, then that should be reflected in the public health metrics which we propose using.
- We have chosen to make recommendations only for our next step in re-opening. The future state of the pandemic could be wonderfully good, horribly bad, or something in-between. We therefore are focused only on the near term.
- We wish to point out that our recommendations address the responsibilities and actions of our institution, not of individuals. We make a distinction between the decisions that individual congregants make for gathering in person, and decisions that we make as an institution to allow, sponsor, and promote congregational activities. BUU has a responsibility to care for its members, friends, and visitors, particularly while they are at our physical facility.