Concerning the COVID PANDEMIC

November 8, 2020 Dear Parishioners, The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped life as we know it. Many of us are staying home, avoiding people on the street and changing daily habits, like going to school or work, in ways we never imagined. While we are changing old behaviors, there are new routines we need to continue to maintain. First and foremost is the habit of wearing a mask or face covering whenever we are in a public space such as in church. Thanks to the tireless efforts of scientists everywhere, we have compressed years of research on the COVID-19 virus into months. This has led to a rapid evolution of policies and recommendations, and here are some of the things we’ve learned: Masks and face coverings can prevent the wearer from transmitting the COVID-19 virus to others and may provide some protection to the wearer. Multiple studies have shown that face coverings can contain droplets expelled from the wearer, which are responsible for the majority of transmission of the virus. This 'source control' approach reflects a shift in thinking from a 'medical' perspective (will it protect the wearer?) to a 'public health' perspective (will it help reduce community transmission and risk for everyone?). Many people with COVID-19 are unaware they are carrying the virus. It is estimated that 40 percent of those with COVID-19 are asymptomatic but potentially able to transmit the virus to others and we cannot identify many people who are silently transmitting the virus in their community except through frequent testing. We are currently in the process of establishing St. Helena as a self-testing site, and we will be giving you further information about that soon. Wearing a universal mask use can significantly reduce virus transmission in the community by preventing anyone, including those who are unwittingly carrying the virus, from transmitting it to others. Masks worn by significant portions of the population, coupled with other safety measures, do result in substantial reductions in case numbers and deaths. Covering your nose may be just as important as covering your mouth when it comes to protecting yourself from the novel coronavirus. Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill mapped locations in the respiratory tract to see where COVID-19 most likely infiltrates the body and found the cells that line the nose were significantly more likely to become infected and spread virus than the throat or lungs, and part of the reason you could be more likely to get infected through the nose is because COVID-19 infects cells with tiny hairs on them called cilia, which usually helps protect from pathogens. Last Monday, the Cleveland Clinic warned people about wearing gloves reporting that while wearing Gloves properly can give some protection, they do not give you immunity nor permission to touch everything within reach either. Any germs that might be on your gloves can be transferred to all other surfaces and items you touch," the physician cautioned. COVID is not a contact infection and "This is why it’s counterproductive to wear gloves, yet continue to rummage through your purse or text on your phone while in the store. ”Masks are not perfect barriers to transmission either, but they don’t need to be perfect if they aren’t used alone. Universal mask use should be accompanied by other public health measures such as physical distancing, testing, contact tracing and restrictions on large gatherings. We are currently still at a 50 person maximum with social distancing for meetings and social gatherings. These measures aren’t perfect either, but when many imperfect measures are combined at a community level, they can be very effective at slowing transmission and reducing infections. Wearing a mask isn’t a restriction of our freedom. Rather, it helps us to regain freedom by reducing virus transmission in a community and making every interaction safer. Freedom for people to go to church or to work, attend school, interact with others, and most importantly freedom from illness and fear. We very much appreciate your cooperation as we strive to make St. Helena a safe environment. As you may have heard, the diocese is now allowing us to celebrate Mass up to a church capacity of one-third while keeping social distancing. To accommodate this increased capacity, we have rearranged the seating restrictions so each side will allow for singles, couples, or families with up to seven people in a pew. Please remember to silence or mute your cell phones while you are in church and please remember that one of the changes that we have made is that we begin the line for Holy Communion from the back of the church, with the ushers guiding people to the line at the proper time. We highly encourage you to receive Holy Communion in the hand. We very much appreciate the work of the ushers and greeters, and we appreciate your cooperation with them. However, we are in dire need of more ushers and greeters and especially cleaners to cover all of the Masses. If you could volunteer in this ministry once or twice a month, it would be greatly appreciated. We also appreciate those who are helping us to live-stream our Masses and activities so that all parishioners will have an opportunity to share and engage in them. We are all concerned about the gradual increase in coronavirus being recorded in some sections of the city and in neighboring states, and we very much appreciate the sacrifices that everyone is making to help keep us all safe during these uncertain times. St. Helena contains members across the entire spectrum of vulnerability to this virus — people with compromised immune systems, older folks, youngsters, health care workers, and people frequenting hospitals, to name a few. In responding to COVID-19 specifically, we must ask ourselves who among us is the most vulnerable and how can we act in the best interest of those people? This is why we seek to inform you of current conditions and why we have instituted additional spiritual devotions and activities, live-streaming, and a food pantry, and soon a self-testing site. Thank you for all that you do for St. Helena, and together we shall continue to be an essential spiritual and community center during these difficult times. Peace. Fr. David Pastor