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Good morning and welcome to COVID Communiqué 22. We’ve arrived at the first festival we’ve been able to celebrate together since Christmas, only to find Thanksgiving overshadowed by climbing case numbers and tinged with anxiety as public health officials urge us to redouble efforts to keep the virus at bay. Members of your parish may be telling you they’re afraid to come to church.            

Please be assured we are closely monitoring all public health advisories and we believe our churches are safe as long as our Amber protocols are carefully followed. If public health recommendations change and we feel we have to reconsider that, we will issue a special COVID Communiqué. Ottawa, as you know, is a COVID hot spot, and if tougher restrictions are brought in for the city but not surrounding areas, we’ll consider having different parts of the diocese operate under different stages of the plan. Be sure to keep up-to-date on conditions in your local public health region. 

We expect to have In This Together Version 2, our fully updated pandemic plan, ready by the middle of the month. We’ve been revising it to reflect both new information on COVID-19 and your experiences.  One change that’s important to mention now—we have made a provision for the Eucharist to continue if we do have to move back to Red. Meanwhile, let’s all try to focus on God’s bounty and the beauty of his creation. 

Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving. If you have any questions or concerns you want to raise, please contact us, as always, at C19helpdesk@ottawa.anglican.ca. 

COVID Communiqué is produced by our senior staff: 
Shane Parker, Bishop
Beth Bretzlaff, Dean
Linda Hill, Executive Archdeacon
Sanjay Grover, Director of Financial Ministry
Peter John Hobbs, Director of Community Ministries
Jane Scanlon, Director of Stewardship Development
Carol Sinclair, Director of Human Resources