Dear Friends,

Although we are still in a COVID pandemic, COVID has become a milder illness worldwide.  There are fewer deaths and hospitalizations.  Most people have some degree of immunity resulting from vaccination, recovering from COVID or both.

To date we have based our COVID policy on the CDC recommendations.  We followed these measures because we care deeply for each other and want to protect each other. But these recommendations have now changed and we are adjusting our policy accordingly.

Effective March 8, 2024, Eliot Chapel recommends that all who come to this beloved community stay up to date on their COVID vaccines. Vaccinations help not only the person being vaccinated, but also decrease the spread of illness thereby protecting others, especially the most vulnerable. However, given increased immunity levels and increasingly milder variants of COVID, it is reasonable to end the requirement of vaccination to be present in our facility.

We continue to expect those with a respiratory infection, including the cold, flu, RSV, COVID and others, to refrain from coming into our facility.  Please follow CDC guidelines about when to stay home and when to mask. We encourage and respect mask wearing for those who wish to do so, to protect themselves or others.

We understand that this change in policy will be welcome to some and concerning to others. If you wish to speak to someone regarding our amended policy, feel free to reach out to any one of us. 

Sincerely and with love,

Rev. Krista Taves, Lead Minister

Sara Fleming, Board Chair

Steven Swift, Board Member

Kathy Brunts, Member

Brian Franklin, Director of Congregational Administration