Yesterday after meeting we discussed the return to in-person Sunday meetings at the Greene Centre, and particularly the question of whether to require full vaccination to attend on Sundays in Montreal.
We noted:
- Vaccination reduces the risk of transmission, even among those wearing a mask.
- Vaccinated people are at lower risk but can still get extremely ill, be hospitalized, and even die from this virus. The unvaccinated are at much higher risk.
- A fourth wave seems to be beginning and less is known about the delta variant of COVID.
- Some have contact with children who cannot be vaccinated and feel concerned that these young people are vulnerable to nefarious effects from the virus.
- We are in a painful position: some refuse to come unless we require full vaccination whereas others may not be fully vaccinated.
- For the above reason, we recognize that we cannot include everyone.
We decided to proceed cautiously and, for the month of September, invite fully vaccinated people to meet in person for the two weeks of Sept. 12 & 19.
The schedule for upcoming first day meetings (Sundays, 11am):
- August 29 - Meeting on Zoom for all
- September 5 - Meeting on Zoom for all
- September 12 - In-person meeting for the fully vaccinated
- Zoom meeting for those who cannot or prefer not to meet in-person
- September 19 - In-person meeting for the fully vaccinated
- Zoom meeting for those who cannot or prefer not to meet in-person
- September 26 - Meeting on Zoom for all followed by business meeting
Midweek meeting and bible study will continue to meet on Zoom throughout September.
Part of the benefit of trying an experiment for a month is that we are inviting feedback (you can contact us): any comments, concerns, questions, problems? If you’d have liked to come to an in-person meeting and have reasons (especially medical reasons) for non-vaccination, we’d love to know them.
Additionally, help would be much appreciated looking into hybrid meetings (that is, a meeting that is online and in-person simultaneously). Please contact us if you would be willing to help with this.