Updated Guidance of the CDC
Dear Synod Leaders,
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.
We are not out of the woods yet. Recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls for all people to mask indoors in those areas of our country where there are substantial or high levels of community transmission of the coronavirus. This change is due to the particularly high threat of transmission posed by the Delta variant, which is now the dominant strain in our country.
What I have learned through public reporting about the new guidance from the CDC is that vaccinations remain a highly effective defense against serious illness caused by the new Delta variant. However, even asymptomatic carriers of this variant can have as much as 1,000 times more viral load than with previous strains of the virus. Because masks significantly decrease transmission, the strategic use of masks in places of high community transmission can have a big impact on keeping the virus from spreading.
What does this mean for us as synod? I have found this page on the CDC website to be very helpful in answering that question. The interactive map provides recent data about community transmission by county in a color-coded format that is easy to see and understand at a glance. Below the map there is an explanation of the data that the CDC uses to determine the level of community transmission in any given county. I have been checking this site daily since the Tuesday announcement from the CDC. As of today, I see that one county in our synod has moved from yellow to orange, Lawrence County. Another website that I use to track 7-day averages in new cases by county indicates that several of the other counties in our synod have experienced recent increases even though they remain in the CDC’s yellow, or moderate, level.
They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I think of the guidance we have recently received from the CDC as being like an ounce of prevention, and I invite you to take the time to monitor the community transmission level in your county weekly. If community transmission in your county rises to the orange level, please be prepared to return to masking indoors as part of our nation’s effort to stop the spread of this virus. We will do this at the synod office if Allegheny County moves to orange.
As always, the decision about how and when to employ specific restrictions in the life of a congregation or other ministry site lies with the local leaders. I so appreciate the care you have taken over the last sixteen months in your local setting to keep people safe. I know that you have faced criticism over some of the decisions you have made, and that none of these decisions are made lightly. My staff and I have seen a wide variety of practices in our recent visits to congregations and other ministry sites, including masks and gloves, subdued singing, one-way movement through doorways, and we trust that these and other precautions that you have taken are expressions of your commitment to care for others.
Thank you for the responsible exercise of the leadership you have been given; our synod is blessed by your care.
With you in Christ,
Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow
UPDATE: As of August 2, Allegheny County has entered into the orange, or substantial, category of transmission level. The synod is following the CDC's recommendation to reinstate mask wearing in the Synod Office.