The Tennessean reported on April 27 that Nashville health officials intend to lift on May 14 all coronavirus restrictions on businesses and gatherings, with the exception of the mask mandate. This step was made possible by declining cases of COVID and the growing vaccination rate in Davidson County.
Since then, the positive trends have continued and are on track to fully meet Vine Street’s own target metrics: from April 27 to May 12, the 7-day average of new cases dropped from 14 to 7/100K; test positivity dropped from 4% to 3%; and the vaccination rate increased from 27.8% to 36%.
A recent CDC graphic gives us much to celebrate, while also reminding us that wearing masks and observing social distancing continue to be good, helpful habits.
As we prepare to return to in-person worship on May 23, we want to remind you that
we require congregants and guests (including children age 5+) to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose while arriving, attending, or departing from any events; we have disposable masks available for those who need them;
we encourage all to wash their hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds or to make use of the hand sanitizer stations at the entrances;
we expect that social distancing recommendations be observed by all at all times (no hugs or handshakes; maintain physical distance of 6ft when seated; try to maintain physical distance of 6ft when moving);
elevator use is limited to 2 riders per cab (more if all belong to the same household);
we discourage use of the water fountains;
we do not include congregational singing in our services for the foreseeable future;
and we offer prepackaged communion elements to worshipers at the entrances (we partake at the usual time in the service, but remain in the pews).
These restrictions are significant, but they are small when we consider the impact they have on further slowing the spread of infection, and they pale in comparison to the joy of gathering in person for worship and seeing each other’s smiling eyes above our masks! We will continue to livestream our worship services, and we hope that we will soon be able to sing together - even if we have to learn to do so with our masks on!
Finally, you may not know how to feel about any of this - you may feel excited and hopeful, while also noticing some lingering anxiety. You may feel energized and ready to go, or you may notice that you can’t just turn on a dime to switch into “almost-post-COVID mode”. Feel all those feelings and talk about them with friends and people you trust. This past year has been very difficult for all of us, and “coming out of it” will not just follow some calendar - we will each have to find our own path, but we don’t have to do it alone.