Dear WES Members,
As members of the Reopening Task Force, we have been looking forward to the time when it would again be safe for in-person attendees to join Platform in the Main Hall. We anticipate that time is coming soon, and would like to update you on a policy change that will accompany the return to in-person Platform attendance. WES will be moving to a community expectation of vaccination or recent testing for everyone attending Platform in person. This policy change was inspired by a number of factors, including the ability of children over five years old to get vaccinated, the persistence of the pandemic, updated UUA guidance, requests from members, and a culture change that has resulted from new rules for private entertainment and retail venues in the District of Columbia.
As you may know, the District of Columbia recently instituted a vaccination entry requirement for many businesses and other gathering places. Although religious institutions, which WES is considered in this context, are exempt from this policy, our new practice voluntarily mirrors the DC guidance, as a way of demonstrating care for one another.
When Platform production returns to the Main Hall, everyone attending Platform in person who is eligible for a vaccine (including registered attendees, staff, volunteers, and guest speakers) will be required to show either (1) proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination* or (2) proof of negative COVID test within the last 24 hours, either PCR or antigen testing. Everyone attending Platform in person should plan to bring proof of negative test or vaccination with them to each platform they attend. WES will not be able to maintain a list of “pre-approved” attendees.
SEEK will have its own system of encouraging vaccination, and greeters will not be checking the vaccination cards at the door of children and youth who will not be attending Platform. So far, the reservation forms for SEEK indicate that current participants over five years old are vaccinated. Similarly, there is a verification system already in place for staff, and greeters do not need to check the vaccination cards or testing status of staff.
Ensuring vaccinations in our community does not completely mitigate risk, but it provides meaningful protection, particularly when combined with our existing strategies such as our pre-registration screening questionnaire and sign in process, universal masking, and social distancing. These are all important ways to reduce the likelihood of COVID transmission at platform gatherings.
The implementation timeline for this expectation is outlined below. We will be depending on member volunteers to check attendees’ vaccination or testing status at the door, so please consider volunteering for our greeter team.
If you have questions, please plan to attend the Reopening Townhall on Sunday, February 20 at 1pm (Zoom link). You may also email the task force at wesreopeningteam@ethicalsociety.org.
Implementation Timeline:
Note: In all cases, a negative COVID test within 24 hours can be shown in lieu of proof of vaccination. Electronic proof of either a negative test or vaccination (such as a photo, electronic document, or app) is sufficient documentation.
Feb 6 and Feb 13 – Members will continue to attend Platform online. Only the tech team, Leader, and Officiants (otherwise known as the production team) will be in the Main Hall. Members of the production team will bring proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
Feb 20 and Feb 27 – Platform reopens for in-person attendees with a reservation, up to the limits set according to social distancing requirements. Vaccination (or recent negative test) will be required with a grace period on these two Sundays. Attendees should bring their documentation, but will not be turned away. Of course, online attendance will still be possible for our hybrid Platforms into the foreseeable future.
Beginning March 6 – Proof of vaccination (or negative test) is required. Attendees will be instructed to return home to get their proof of vaccination or recent negative test if they have forgotten it.
We hope that this new policy will help us to care for each other as we move toward fuller participation for in-person events at WES.
With care,
The WES Reopening Team
* Per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, complete vaccination includes two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, two doses of Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen.
Platform Reservations Here — tiny.cc/platformreservation