{"id":1507,"date":"2020-03-13T13:54:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T18:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patrickbriney.com\/?p=1507"},"modified":"2020-09-02T10:11:15","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T15:11:15","slug":"5-ways-to-respond-appropriately-to-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patrickbriney.com\/5-ways-to-respond-appropriately-to-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Respond Appropriately to COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The health of our families and friends is of utmost importance<\/strong>, and the threat to our personal health impacts our families, public events, and ministries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A frequent question being asked right now is “What should I do?<\/strong>” I have written an advisory notice for my church that can help people make informed and rational decisions about how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders in other churches have been grateful for the guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayerful and personal discretion is required to decide what you and your family members will do. Current measures taken to respond to the COVID-19 are temporary until the threat to our local healthcare system is abated. Our public worship is very important, and we want to ensure that worship and ministry are provided responsibly with long-term benefits in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church services can be conducted as usual for those who choose to attend, if appropriate for the level of threat in the community <\/strong>(see below). Alternatives to meeting in person include online streaming of services, small group meetings, and online conferencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social distancing should be practiced at gatherings during the elevated threat level. This means taking precautions to avoid contributing to the spread of the virus<\/strong>. Appropriate responses to consider are listed below, according to the level of threat in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timely updates should be made available to your church members to keep them informed about the status of meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can obtain my free, concise, easy-to-understand, colorful 28 page eBook <\/a>“Pandemic Insights: Preparing for What is Yet to Come” that will inform you about COVID-19 in the context of infectious diseases. It defines terms, and it explains the concepts behind the decision making for safety. This is information that will help you and your family make good choices for your personal well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Click Here to Obtain Your Free eBook, “Pandemic Insights<\/em>.” <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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[This article updated 4-26-2020.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brief update<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The lesson learned in Wuhan, China is that an early response to the disease is required in order to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system<\/strong>. Medical officials delayed their response for four weeks in Wuhan. Subsequently, their healthcare system was overwhelmed, and many died due to insufficient healthcare availability. Other provinces in China and elsewhere that have responded early and appropriately have not overwhelmed their healthcare systems, and lives have been saved. An overwhelmed healthcare system cannot adequately help those in need<\/strong>, whether they are suffering from the SARS-CoV-2 infection or some other health issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n