As vaccines for COVID-19 begin to be administered to the public we have collected information that maybe helpful for you. It is important to note that people remember basic COVID-19 safety measures to stop the spread of disease: wear a mask, social distance, avoid large gatherings and social get- togethers, wash your hands and stay home when you’re sick. This includes those who receive the vaccination. Continue to do your part to keep others safe.

Top message from the Oregon Health Authority regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine:

Helpful Links:

• Faith Community Leaders Vaccine Q&A with Oregon Health Authority - Video Recording; Powerpoint
• Oregon Health Authority: COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Providers 
• COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit from the CDC
• Oregon-Specific Q&A Regarding the Vaccine
• Oregon Vaccine Advisory Committee Website 
  • Watch previous meetings of the committee
  • Review agendas and meeting informations

This email was originally sent on December 3, 2020 from Maria Waters, OHA Faith Liaison, Faith.Liaison@dhsoha.state.or.us to Faith Leaders across the state of Oregon.

Hello Faith Leaders,

I hope you each had a few moments of peace and joy over the last week. There are lots of updates and changes today. Please take a few moments to review the information below. As always, please reach out if there is anything specific I can do to support your faith community.

New: Faith Community Guidance

The new four-tier framework goes into effect today. There are significant changes including a new faith-specific guidance document as well as changes to how in-home faith gatherings are classified.

Additional clarification will come shortly on how often and when the risk level for a county will change.

The four levels of risk are: Lower Risk, Moderate Risk, High Risk and Extreme Risk. For the first two-week period, 25 Counties are in the extreme risk level, 5 in the high risk level, 2 in the moderate risk level and 4 in the lower risk level. To see which level your county is in, you can find a map here.

For an overview of all sector guidance, click here.

For Faith Community specific guidance, click here.

OHA COVID-19 webpage to view all documents, click here.

Note- I've received lots of questions about the capacity definition. I am awaiting clarification on this issue, however the "maximum occupancy permitted by law" refers to the fire marshal occupancy certificate. The best method to calculate capacity is calculate the percentage based on the level of risk your county is in. For example, calculate 25% of the fire marshal limits, with a maximum limit of 100 people indoors for extreme risk counties.

In-Home Gatherings

Under the new framework, faith based in-home gatherings should utilize the "Gatherings" sector guidance. This means that for counties in the extreme or high risk levels, in-home faith gatherings cannot exceed more than 6 people.

For in-home gatherings guidance, click here.

Face Coverings Guidance

Masks, face coverings or face shields are required to be worn by all individuals at all times unless the individual:

• Is at their own residence.
• Is in their own personal vehicle, except when going through a drive-thru or if interacting with an individual outside the vehicle, such as at a gas station.
• Is under five (5) years of age.
• Is eating or drinking.
• Is engaged in an activity that makes wearing a mask, face covering or face shield not feasible, such as when taking a shower.
• Is sleeping.
• Is in a private, individual workspace.
• Must remove the mask, face coverings or face shield briefly because the individual’s identity needs to be confirmed by visual comparison, such as at a bank or if interacting with law enforcement. If possible, individuals should limit speaking while the mask, face covering or face shield is off as speaking generates aerosols and droplets that can contain viruses.

Individuals who have a medical condition that makes it hard to breathe or a disability that prevents the individual from wearing a mask, face covering or face shield can request an accommodation from a business, person responsible for an indoor or outdoor space open to the public, public or private workplace, private career school or public or private university to enable full and equal access to services, transportation and facilities open to the public.

This means that face coverings are required while speaking or performing at a faith gathering. There are no exceptions regardless of distance between the audience and the speaker. Additionally, plexiglass shields are not approved as a substitute for a face covering.

For the Face Coverings guidance, click here.

Vaccines

There is a new website that just launched for information relating to COVID-19 vaccinations in Oregon. On the website, you can read about Oregon's draft vaccination distribution plan, updates on vaccine availability, and information about vaccine safety and effectiveness.

You can find the vaccination website here.

Community Information Exchange

Oregon community information exchanges (CIEs) are developing across the state, sponsored by Medicaid coordinated care organizations (CCOs), health plans and other organizations. CIE can be used by interested community-based organizations (CBOs), local public health authorities (LPHAs), and Tribes to coordinate wraparound and social services support for COVID-19 isolation and quarantine.

You can find an informational flyer here.

We also plan to hold an informational webinar where community stakeholders interested in CIE can learn more, and to gather feedback in the future. We’ll share more information about these events in upcoming newsletters and on our OHA CIE website.

Resources

Safe + Strong Oregon

Testing

Oregon Department of Human Services Resources

Over the next few days, additional clarification will come available on the new guidance. I have received a number of questions that have been submitted to the Governor's Office for clarification. As soon as I have answers, I will send them out.

In Partnership,

Maria Waters
OHA Faith Liaison
Faith.Liaison@dhsoha.state.or.us
Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Closed captioning in English and Spanish
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Faith.Liaison@dhsoha.state.or.us.

As the State of Oregon wrestles with understanding what is necessary to address our communities’ safety, their guidelines for reopening have changed. All congregations that have or plan to open need to be compliant with state and relevant county guidelines.

Below are the most recent guidelines for event operators and gatherings, both of which are applicable for churches. These guidelines are applicable for counties in Phase 1 and Phase 2. Specific questions regarding state regulations and local guidelines should be addressed with your county’s Public Health office.

If you have already submitted a plan, please adjust your practices to meet these new standards. If you have not yet submitted a plan, please address these required components in your plan to reengage your building.

Some of the highlighted changes include requirements that churches:

• Post signs throughout facility with symptoms and encouraging people to go home if sick
• Post signs throughout facility with info on who to contact if someone gets sick
• Provide hand sanitizer throughout
• Require reservations or advanced tickets
• Determine maximum occupancy of each indoor and outdoor area using 35 square feet per person
• Assign physical distancing monitor
• Use specific EPA approved disinfectants
• Assign sanitation attendant

• First notify any other employees or volunteers who might potentially have had exposure. You should tell them only that someone was diagnosed with the illness, but should not identify which person is sick, even if they ask so they can gauge their own risk. Medical information, such as diagnosis, must be kept confidential. It’s okay if they figure it out on their own, but make sure you’re not the one to reveal the information.

Exposed employees or volunteers probably don’t need to quarantine unless they had close contact for a prolonged period of time (this isn’t precisely defined, but 15 minutes at less than 6 feet apart would qualify, even with masks). The CDC has the latest information on its website.

• Next, you should follow CDC and local health department guidance on cleaning and quarantining. Areas of the worksite where the infected person worked or visited should be closed for 24 hours, or as long as possible, then thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

The sick person should talk to their healthcare provider to determine when to return. For those who have a presumptive case of COVID-19 (meaning they didn’t get a test), their provider will probably let them return when at least 24 hours have passed since recovery, as defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND improvement in respiratory symptoms AND at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

• Diocesan Guidelines for Reengaging our Church Buildings
• Going out? Stay apart. (Poster from Oregon Health Authority)
• Do you have these symptoms? (Poster from Oregon Health Authority)

• Guías Diocesanas para los edificios de nuestra Iglesia
• ¿Sale? Mantenga la distancia. (Cartel de la Autoridad de Salud de Oregon)
• ¿Tiene estos síntomas? (Cartel de la Autoridad de Salud de Oregon)