Bishop’s pastoral letter: COVID precautions amid surge in cases
Bishop David Bard has turned the dial on the Minnesota Conference’s Phased Re-Gathering Plan for Churches from blue to yellow. Vaccination rates have slowed considerably and a new variant of the coronavirus, the Delta variant, has been spreading rapidly. Test positivity rates are up—now surpassing 5 percent in Minnesota (with some counties substantially higher). Bishop Bard encourages all who are eligible to receive a vaccine and have not yet done so to do it. Additionally, when your county surpasses a 5 percent positivity rate (check your county’s current rate here), we ask that you reinstate the yellow phase guidelines of social distancing, indoor masking, and no congregational singing within your local church. Read pastoral letter