by Rhonda Gunter
Since North Carolina moved into Phase 2 of its Covid-19 guidelines the first of June, some restrictions have eased. Those most affecting me apply to restaurants, church, and beauty salons. And while I can now dine in now rather than get take-out, have face-to-face Worship services at church, and can (finally!) get a haircut, I recognize that there are still limitations we should abide by while Covid-19 numbers are high and getting higher in NC. A spike was predicted as more people venture out and stop being careful. Like others, I have “quarantine fatigue,” but I remind myself I still have to follow the rules. We would certainly like to be done with the virus, but the virus is not done with us!
I’ll say right off that I was thrilled with the opening of beauty salons! I took the first appointment available. My hairdresser, who has cut my hair for 40 years, wore a mask, which made me feel more comfortable. Not all are following that protocol in beauty and barber shops, I hear.
Restaurants have opened at half occupancy, and while masks for servers are not mandated in Phase 2, they are recommended. So far in June, I have eaten 6 times in Spruce Pine or Bakersville restaurants. All the restaurants had either roped off half their tables or actually removed half the tables and chairs. A couple had gone to paper menus, while I saw waitstaff at a couple more spraying and wiping down their menus. Only one restaurant had no plexiglass shield at the checkout. Of the 6 restaurants, the servers in 2 wore masks; the others did not. I was wearing my own mask, but I still felt insecure. I doubt I will go back to the ones without masks, at least not to dine in.
It’s been great that gatherings of fewer than 10 are now allowed. I’ve joined friends a couple of times for get-togethers at their homes or mine. We’ve worn masks until we sat down to eat, seated 6 feet apart. Outdoor meals were optimal, but one day it was raining, so we sat under a carport, again 6 feet apart. We were much more cognizant of hand sanitation and touching only our own food, but it surely was nice to visit face-to-face. Most of the time we drove separately, but when we did ride in the same vehicle, we both wore masks. I love my friends too much to risk their health, even if I were willing to risk my own.
My church, Spruce Pine First Presbyterian, resumed in-person Worship on Sunday, 6/14, nearly 3 months since our last regular Worship on 3/15. In the interim, we had YouTube Worship with video clips from minister, pianist, and congregation members, we had services broadcast to the church parking lot, and we held drive-through communion. All those were good, but it was especially meaningful to see my brothers and sisters in Christ in person. Hopefully in the next few weeks we can resume Sunday School. Some churches in Mitchell County, I know, had gone back to in-person Worship a couple weeks ago, and a few small churches never stopped their in-person services.
Our Session set guidelines for Worship and sent them to all members of the congregation. Every other pew was taped off, there were no choirs or hymns, no hugs or handshaking, and we all wore masks. I understand that some churches opted not to put such guidelines in place, which worries me, as several outbreaks nationally have been traced to church services.
I keep coming back to masks and other precautions, don’t I? I am very apprehensive about the number of people in my county who are not wearing masks, those who are congregating in large groups, and those who are engaging in other unsafe behaviors. As I write this entry, there have been 24 cases of Covid-19 here, but I fear Mitchell County will see a tragic rise in the numbers of infections in the next few weeks. I really hate that too many of my neighbors think there is no danger in our county, think that the worst is over and their precautions can be set aside, or worse, think that the whole crisis is a hoax or a partisan conspiracy! Wear your masks, folks!
Here are the guidelines given to church members:
In order to keep everyone safe, we will be observing the following precautions and guidelines established per our Presbytery and state and local officials. These guidelines will go into effect on June 14, 2020 and remain in effect until further notice.
We believe these precautions will give us a safe environment to worship the Lord and to fellowship with one another. If you cannot make the service, or you do not feel comfortable attending in person at this time, we have alternatives. We will continue to broadcast FM radio (tune to 90.9) to the parking lot and to the playground/picnic shelter area. And we will continue to video the service and have the online version available to watch later on YouTube. Check out the First Presbyterian Spruce Pine website and Facebook!
With much love and God’s blessings to you all.
First Presbyterian Session
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You will note a series of numbers contained in the blog. They document the spread of virus through confirmed cases by the federal Centers for Disease Control and by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. These are the official totals provided by state and local government at the date of the post and do not include estimates or cases not confirmed by these agencies. This is our effort to provide an accurate gauge of confirmed virus spread as it continues during the pandemic.
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