This AIW does not require a return to mask mandates. Previous comments discuss this, but the language will be clarified in the final revision.
Regarding your point comparing COVID to the flu, I invite you to reconsider your implied assertion that the flu is harmless. Unfortunately, higher-risk populations are still killed and disabled by viral infections and post-viral complications, including COVID and the flu. Our team believes that UUs are called to reconsider how our culture has normalized the disposability of higher-risk groups of people for the sake of returning to a status quo we learned to shift throughout the COVID state of emergency.
A point was missed. I invite you to reflect on identity politics. Masks were targetted by COVID deniers. Could there be a reaction motive for this AIW? Are we holding up the mask as a uniform for UUās? A rightous badge of our identity? If so I would urge people to not play this political game. Not discussing the science pointed me to this conclusion. Let it not be so. Thanks for the paper on Long COVID, but it is not relevent to this discussion.
Grateful to the folks who are bringing this AIW, and Iām looking forward to voting in support of it.
My congregation was probably one of the last to give up a full mask mandate. We built an outdoor amphitheater space early in the pandemic and held all worship there until Christmas Eve 2023. Through a thoughtful and inclusive discernment circle process, we crafted a policy for determining where we worshipāindoors or outdoors. We no longer require masking but we maintain mask-only sections in our indoor and outdoor worship spaces, and explicitly encourage a culture of mask-normalizing. Iām really proud of how weāve handled thisāI think it has protected a lot of folks.
What is the status of this AIW at this point? Is the material under āPoster1ā at the top the edited version which reflects the input received to date? (Iām mostly confused about process more than content ā does the update replace the original wording in its location at the top, rather than appear farther down based on when it was updated?) Thank you.
Also, itās not obvious because itās at the bottom of the long initial post, but there is this note:
Update 6/14: The Proposer of this AIW agreed to some changes to the text received at the listening session. The text above has been altered to reflect any changes. Additionally you can view the revision history on any post by clicking on the pencil icon found at the top right of the post.
Nice that this system tracks changes! But isnāt immediately intuitive, either.
UUJEC has three task forces: Reparations for Racist Crimes, Healthcare and the Green Task Force, including the militaries huge, unaccounted for carbon footprint. COVID has left a lot of our bodies damaged in ways we will unlikely ever recover from.
Yes, mortality from SARS-CoV-2 related to the acute infection is down compared to the early days of the pandemic. But that doesnāt mean infection, especially repeated infection, isnāt dangerous. There is plenty of evidence that COVID causes long-term damage, being associated with an increase in many bad outcomes, such as heart disease, strokes, dementia, and the disabling condition known as long COVID.
The page of the NIH (National Institutes for Health) website titled āThe Long-Term Effects of SARS-CoV-2 on Organs and Energyā begins with the words āSARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can damage the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels.ā
The information is there if you want to look for it, including in peer reviewed scientific publications.
Normalizing masking also helps to prevent transmission of many other kinds of respiratory infection, in addition to Covid-19: influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human parainfluenza (HPIV), and others. These respiratory illnesses can be dangerous for people with other medical conditions, those who are older or very young, those who are immunocompromised, and so on. Normalizing masking helps to create safer spaces that are welcoming to all people. Improving ventilation and air purification also helps create safer spaces. The actions in this AIW for congregations and the UUA will help promote science-based public health strategies in our communities.
Yes, had never heard of the āBlocsā and I spent 30 years in public health, tho not in infectious disease. I was told that was 19th century public health when I was training. 10 years later AIDS hit, and the rest is history. Thank you again for all your hard work on this, I never would have thought to do it!
In North Carolina, legislators almost instituted a total ban on all masks, EVEN for people with medical reasons. A shift of a very few legislators has now has allow for a few medical exceptions. I am, however, not sure if that exception is wide enough to give anyone the choice to wear a mask. It seems to have been inspired, for some, at least partially, to punish students protesting for Palestinians, a few of whom wore masks.
All the masks bans are so terrifying for folks like myself who are disabled and need to mask to participate in public life and I was masking for years before this pandemic.
I would send loving vibes to all my disabled UU siblings as this AIW is discussed in case there is any ableist or other harmful types of language or sharing from the speaker lines. Please take care of yourselves and protect your joy <3
found at the top right of the post.