Status of church

[Duncan]

1 minute ago, rongo said:

My wife was visiting young women with a Canadian woman who is new to the ward and YW. She noticed my wife not wearing a mask, and asked if she was done with the whole mask thing. My wife said, "We never really began it." She gladly didn't wear hers, and said that she was so done with all of this. We also ran into an elderly Canadian couple from Alberta in the store. They stopped us and said how great it was to be able to see people's faces (they are snowbirds down for the winter). 

Our Zoom entertainment consists of elderly couples talking loudly to each other about unrelated things, and the teacher keeps muting them in vain and they keep unmuting themselves. 

yes, yes! hahahaha! in our ward technically you don't need to wear one if you sit with your family but people do, just to be cautious. There have been some cases of covid in our Stake, our SP got it and some others. I think everyone is over it but I think, here anyways, people will feel more comfortable when people get their shots

[strappinglad]

All ward sacrament meetings are broadcast in my area ( Southern Alberta ) In person meetings are restricted to 15% of fire code capacity. 

Masks are required. 

Several provinces are experiencing a sharp uptick in cases , particularly the variant types ( 40% of those tested in my area. ) Gov'ts are re-imposing stricter regulations again including lockdowns .

One step forward, three steps back! 

[Amulek]

34 minutes ago, rongo said:

I sure hope it's on the horizon --- and not way off in the distance, either. 

I think it largely depends on where you live. The guidelines we were given outline pretty specific metrics and measures to be used in making the determination to come back to full-time attendance, along with instructions on how things are to proceed when moving to the next phase. 

 

[Meadowchik]

36 minutes ago, rongo said:

Wouldn't that be option #1?

Option 1 is about restrictions on meeting. So if a meeting is not allowed at all, there's no way of knowing how the ward handles hygiene when it meets.

[Duncan]

9 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

All ward sacrament meetings are broadcast in my area ( Southern Alberta ) In person meetings are restricted to 15% of fire code capacity. 

Masks are required. 

Several provinces are experiencing a sharp uptick in cases , particularly the variant types ( 40% of those tested in my area. ) Gov'ts are re-imposing stricter regulations again including lockdowns .

One step forward, three steps back! 

yes, we don't want that riff raff from Ontario coming here eek! seriously, though our ward is in flux with 3 possibly 4 families moving out and one coming in-that we know of anyways-it's so hard though you can't visit these people and so you are kind of on your own aside from hopefully the ministers contact you or you watch zoom church

[rongo]

51 minutes ago, Amulek said:

I think it largely depends on where you live. The guidelines we were given outline pretty specific metrics and measures to be used in making the determination to come back to full-time attendance, along with instructions on how things are to proceed when moving to the next phase. 

What we're finding is that there is a lot of "area seventy roulette," and there is a wide range. We happen to have one who is extremely cautious, even though our metrics and state/county/city requirements all allow back to normal. But, neighboring coordinating councils already are. 

[rongo]

1 hour ago, Meadowchik said:

Option 1 is about restrictions on meeting. So if a meeting is not allowed at all, there's no way of knowing how the ward handles hygiene when it meets.

If no meetings at all are allowed, then I would say that is the very tightest of "mitigation protocols."  Surface sanitation is moot if you're not meeting at all. Heck, it's pretty moot, even if you are meeting. 

The surveys are never perfect; I was trying to keep it as simple as possible without adding every possible permutation. 

[Meadowchik]

31 minutes ago, rongo said:

If no meetings at all are allowed, then I would say that is the very tightest of "mitigation protocols."  Surface sanitation is moot if you're not meeting at all. Heck, it's pretty moot, even if you are meeting. 

The surveys are never perfect; I was trying to keep it as simple as possible without adding every possible permutation. 

That's understandable, I just wanted to point it out mainly since I had to give incorrect info to submit my answers

[ksfisher]

2 hours ago, rongo said:

Surface sanitation is moot if you're not meeting at all. Heck, it's pretty moot, even if you are meeting. 

The CDC has recently changed their guidance regarding surfaces.

COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces

• Respiratory droplets can also land on surfaces and objects. It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
• Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html

[LoudmouthMormon]

I'm in a ward with older folks, lots of retired military, relatively well-to-do overall.  Quite conservative.  We went back to in-person ASAP (which was shortly after someone had a news article about how this or that politician-in-charge was making a fuss over the constitutionality of banning church attendance.   Ever since, we've had maybe 65% in-person attendance, 45% virtual.  After a few months of laptops and cheap webcams, the wards in the building spent ~$600 on a better camera and decent AV equipment.  Me and one other guy take turns running the camera.  I just got back from broadcasting our ward's 2nd funeral in the last 6 months.

From the beginning, we had one or two folks resistant to masks, nobody seemed to care.  Our bishopric was peopled by folks who thought masks were silly, but they've obeyed local health orders and direction from the stake.  The nanosecond our older folks had access to vaccines, the number of unmasked started growing.  It's maybe 10-15% now.  

We've had maybe half a dozen families who got, and recovered from, COVID.  I don't know of any old people who caught it.

 

[Hamba Tuhan]

I live in a jurisdiction that hasn’t had an instance of community transmission of COVID since June. We went back to sacrament meetings in August, with full attendance allowed shortly thereafter. At first, it was supposed to be half the ward on alternating weeks, but many of us just went every week, and no one stopped us. Singing resumed in December, and classes resumed in February. In the chapel, we still have every other pew blocked off, but everyone just crowds together  into the rest. We sanitise and perform the sacrament per Church guidelines, but we’ve never been under a mask mandate here. Our government requires electronic check-in, and I see most people comply. Hugs and handshakes are definitely back but not for everyone. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Hamba Tuhan

[rongo]

55 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

The CDC has recently changed their guidance regarding surfaces.

COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces

• Respiratory droplets can also land on surfaces and objects. It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
• Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html

I know. That's why the Church **could** (wouldn't, because of criticism) dispense with the "sanitation theater." Schools, too, have made a point of millions being spent on "detailed cleaning protocols" simply to assuage the loud and the worriers. Covid isn't being spread by people putting water cups in the tray, either, but we'll probably continue to use two trays. 

[Stargazer]

The choices in #1 didn't cover what we are doing in my stake.

We've been virtual only for the past few months (UK govt put us back on full lockdown). The govt has been relaxing restrictions lately, though, and starting this Sunday, 11 April, we go back to combined in-person/virtual. Members who cannot otherwise take the Sacrament due to lack of priesthood in the home will attend in-person, and the rest of us will attend via remote. All other meetings, including 2nd hour, are still virtual only. On 18 April my wife is giving a talk in sacrament meeting, and she will deliver it via remote.

 

[JAHS]

In California we have Sacrament meeting in person but only 100 are allowed to attend. The rest watch virtual. After Sacrament there is an person Sunday school for the youth, or a young women meeting, or a Young men's meeting. That rotates every Sunday. The rest of the Adult Sunday school or  Relief Society/Priesthood meetings (rotates every other week) is all virtual.

[Rain]

We have both sacrament and 2nd hour in person and virtually, but no primary during the 2nd hour. Most attend sacrament in person and 2nd hour virtually.  There is a longer that normal break to get home between them.

Masks are required. I am told some don't wear them over their nose. Edit:  Speakers don't wear a mask.

Do we not have the same area authority?

Edited April 10, 2021 by Rain

[rpn]

I attended an AZ sacrament meeting three weeks ago and they were singing the entire hymns, and one of the speakers didn't have a mask on (essential worker so may be immunized.)    In my location, the upcoming sunday is the first time singing and only a single verse, and everyone is supposed to wear mask (abt 40 people have attended in person over the last 8 months per sunday, the rest virtual or not).

[rongo]

2 hours ago, Rain said:

We have both sacrament and 2nd hour in person and virtually, but no primary during the 2nd hour. Most attend sacrament in person and 2nd hour virtually.  There is a longer that normal break to get home between them.

Masks are required. I am told some don't wear them over their nose. Edit:  Speakers don't wear a mask.

Do we not have the same area authority?

I don't think so. They are each over several stakes. Ours has Yuma, Buckeye, Maricopa, Casa Grande, and a few in Tempe. I wonder how many A70s there are in metro Phoenix. There are multiple A70s over Gilbert/Queen Creek alone. 

[rongo]

1 hour ago, rpn said:

I attended an AZ sacrament meeting three weeks ago and they were singing the entire hymns, and one of the speakers didn't have a mask on (essential worker so may be immunized.)    In my location, the upcoming sunday is the first time singing and only a single verse, and everyone is supposed to wear mask (abt 40 people have attended in person over the last 8 months per sunday, the rest virtual or not).

Our speakers have never had to wear masks. My wife and I didn't when we sat on the stand to speak, either. We also have always sung all of the songs. That's interesting --- I didn't know some were only singing a verse. 

It's interesting that even within areas under one A70 (a coordinating council), there is a range of leader roulette "enforcement" of ostensibly the same policy. 

[Rain]

2 hours ago, rongo said:

I don't think so. They are each over several stakes. Ours has Yuma, Buckeye, Maricopa, Casa Grande, and a few in Tempe. I wonder how many A70s there are in metro Phoenix. There are multiple A70s over Gilbert/Queen Creek alone. 

Ahh ok.  I thought it was a much bigger area they covered.

[Robert F. Smith]

19 hours ago, rongo said:

I'm assuming that where church is hybrid, 2nd hour is virtual, but I would be interested to find that this is incorrect. 

If you're willing, I'd also be interested in where you are. 

I'm in Pinal County, Arizona. I answered "Sacrament meeting is in-person; 2nd hour is virtual." Technically, we are hybrid, but our bishop has asked us to just all come to sacrament meeting, regardless of how many are there. We have the overflow open, and attendance is near pre-Covid levels. Our area authority is what is holding up 2nd hour being offered in-person.

As is true Church-wide (and similar to most stores, in my experience), mitigation protocols are required, but in practice, masks are optional and a cursory "wiping down" takes place between units meeting. Church sacrament tray policy is being followed. Nothing is said to anyone without a mask (and increasingly more are doing this), in my ward.

I'm interested to see the range of experience in different places.

Thank you!

In my ward in Provo, many more are now attending (especially older folks who have gotten vaccinated), and 100% wear masks.  Social distancing is fully practiced in line with LDS Church policy.  I am, however, not surprised that Arizona sociopolitical attitudes prevail in your area.

We have Elders Quorum/Relief Society/Sunday School virtually, and that is an option for those who don't feel safe attendting Sacrament mtg.  I assume we will be fully back to normal by sometime this summer.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Robert F. Smith

[Tacenda]

3 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

In my ward in Provo, many more are now attending (especially older folks who have gotten vaccinated), and 100% wear masks.  Social distancing is fully practiced in line with LDS Church policy.  I am, however, not surprised that Arizona sociopolitical attitudes prevail in your area.

We have Elders Quorum/Relief Society/Sunday School virtually, and that is an option for those who don't feel safe attendting Sacrament mtg.  I assume we will be fully back to normal by sometime this summer.

Now that's the ward I'd be comfortable attending, your ward, not the AZ one!

[Tacenda]

double post

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by Tacenda

[InCognitus]

I'm in an Arizona ward (Maricopa county), and we have an in-person sacrament meetings with masks required (attendance limited to under 100 people) and a virtual Zoom webinar option for sacrament meeting, and the second hour has been virtual only (Zoom).  We've had this same basic arrangement since the end of last summer.  The Zoom webinar sacrament meeting has allowed for talks and the bearing of testimonies to be done virtually (there is a projector in the chapel to show the speaker if the person's camera is activated, or they get audio only in the chapel if the person's camera is turned off).  The Zoom webinar format allows for the "presenter" to be controlled and coordinated through a moderator, preventing someone from accidentally joining the meeting with their mic or camera turned on (that could be bad and potentially embarrassing, but only to the people attending in the Zoom meeting since the projector and sound in the chapel isn't switched on unless someone is in the queue to speak). 

But today our bishop read a letter from (I think) an area authority that outlined the plan for going back to in-person second hour meetings.  I may get some of these details wrong, because I didn't have the opportunity to write them down.  But there were two basic plans described, and the difference between the two plans depended on the size of the facility where the meetings are held and if they allow for proper social distancing.   I thought it was interesting considering the prior discussion in this thread about vaccinations.  

Both the large and small facility plans were stipulated based on local government requirements AND both facility plans required the wearing of masks at all times.  Both plans also stipulated that if you feel sick or if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, you should stay home (I consider that the "duh" requirement - it is common sense (I certainly hope so, anyway)). 

But the big difference between the large and small facility plan had to do with space for proper social distancing (6 feet for adults, 3 feet for children).  If the facility cannot accommodate social distancing, second hour in-person meetings would be allowed only if 70% or more of the people attending have been vaccinated or have recovered from a COVID-19 infection.  They are going to continue to provide virtual services for people who are uncomfortable with any of the in-person attendance accommodations.  

I suspect that the vaccination specification would be on the honor system.  I don't now how else they could do it.

Edited April 12, 2021 by InCognitus

[JustAnAustralian]

Back to two hours in most places in Australia as far as I'm aware.

Government social distancing requirements are the biggest stoppage for a complete return to normal here with restrictions of 1 person per 2sq m. (That's one person per 21sq feet for those across the ditch). So sacrament meeting is generally fine (just with members spaced out around the chapel). Stake conferences get split across multiple meetinghouses using video links. Classes are generally fine, but might need to alternate week to week if they are large or lack rooms. Can often move them into the hall or outside if needed. 

Mask requirements come and go for a few weeks at a time based on regional outbreaks (recently in Brisbane, Queensland for example), but apart from that not generally required as far as I'm aware.

Recent Australian Federal Government media release says that states are aiming at moving to 2 people/sqm  (11 sq ft) in the near future, when that happens things will be pretty much back to normal (apart from enhanced cleaning).

[Hamba Tuhan]

25 minutes ago, JustAnAustralian said:

Recent Australian Federal Government media release says that states are aiming at moving to 2 people/sqm  (11 sq ft) in the near future, when that happens things will be pretty much back to normal (apart from enhanced cleaning).

Yep. The ways various nations have responded have made all the difference with these matters.

Americans have so far allowed 9.6 per cent of their population to be infected and 0.17 per cent of their neighbours to die.

Australians have so far allowed 0.11 per cent of their population to be infected and 0.0035 per cent of their neighbours to die.

As President Nelson said in General Conference regarding temples, if you want things to go back to normal, 'do all you can to bring COVID numbers down in your area'!

Edited April 12, 2021 by Hamba Tuhan