City of Los Angeles: Houses of Worship -- COVID19 Toolkit

[Hyepin Im]

Fyi....Houses of worship in Los Angeles City will be able to open worship with the following guidelines below....

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: David Price <david...@lacity.org>
Date: Tue, May 26, 2020 at 6:25 PM
Subject: Re: Houses of Worship -- COVID19 Toolkit
To:

Greetings, 

Yesterday, Governor Newsom gave permission to the 58 counties of California to open houses of worship using the COVID-19 Industry Guidelines. Today, Mayor Garcetti took action to also permit Los Angeles houses of worship to open under the same guidelines as presented by the Governor.

Supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, these guidelines provide guidance for places of worship and providers of religious services and cultural ceremonies (referred to collectively as “places of worship”) to support a safe, clean environment for employees, interns and trainees, volunteers, scholars, and all other types of workers (referred to collectively as “staff”) as well as congregants, worshippers, visitors, etc. (referred to collectively as “visitors” or “congregants”). 

This guidance does not obligate places of worship to resume in-person activity. Further, it is strongly recommended that places of worship continue to facilitate remote services and other related activities for those who are vulnerable to COVID19 including older adults and those with co-morbidities. 

Even with adherence to physical distancing, convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the COVID-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations. In particular, activities such as singing and group recitation negate the risk-reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing. 

Places of worship must therefore limit attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower. This limitation will be in effect for the first 21-days of a county public health department’s approval of religious services and cultural ceremonies activities at places of worship within their jurisdictions. 

Upon 21-days, the California Department of Public Health, in consultation with county Departments of Public Health, will review and assess the impact of these imposed limits on public health and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of activities in places of worship. 

NOTE: This guidance is not intended for food preparation and service, delivery of items to those in need, childcare and daycare services, school and educational activities, in-home caregiving, counseling, office work, and other activities that places and organizations of worship may provide. 

Have a great evening! 

On Fri, May 22, 2020 at 4:36 PM David Price <david...@lacity.org> wrote:

Greetings, 

Today, our office released this document, which contains tools for Los Angeles houses of worship to plan for the safety of employees, volunteers, members, and visitors as they prepare to resume operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This material has been developed in collaboration with a working group of organization, business, and community representatives. It takes into account guidance from federal and state agencies as well as industry organizations. It is intended as supplemental information to organizations and businesses as they develop COVID-19 preparedness plans. It does not replace Los Angeles County Public Health guidelines or guidance from the state of California. 

As of date of publication of this document – May 21, 2020 – houses of worship are not permitted to open in Los Angeles. Please refer to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department for the latest guidance for allowable activity for your organization and/or business at this time. This document will continue to evolve to adapt to developments in the overall public health conditions of Los Angeles. The latest information can be found on Coronavirus.LACity.org/Business.  

Have a great weekend! 

Best regards, 

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David Price South LA Area Representative & Citywide Faith Liaison Mayor's Office of Legislative & External Affairs p. (213) 922-9781 | e. david...@lacity.org

 

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David Price South LA Area Representative & Citywide Faith Liaison Mayor's Office of Legislative & External Affairs p. (213) 922-9781 | e. david...@lacity.org

 

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Hyepin C. Im, MBA, MDIV, CPA
President and CEO
Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE), formerly KCCD
213-216-3676
hye...@gmail.com

www.facela.org

Sender notified by Mailtrack 05/26/20, 06:29:11 PM