Since Covid vaccines and post-infection therapeutics are completely available to those who want them, and since the science supports that these measures (especially vaccines) provide a statistically meaningful way to protect yourself from serious Covid-related sickness, hospitalization, or death, we feel comfortable in holding physical meetings in an enclosed space. In addition to these personal measures that we can all take to mitigate our response if exposed to Covid, we have set forth some guidelines below for how we will organize physical meetings.
If you do not feel that you can comply with these guidelines, we will gladly refund your dues if you have prepaid, and welcome you back as a member at any point in the future when such requirements are no longer necessary.
- The WPW will comply with CDC, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, and/or Back Channel School guidance/requirements with respect to in-person meetings of non-related people. If such meetings again become prohibited by law (or venue requirement), we will immediately comply. If such meetings are allowed with suggested/required guidelines regarding numbers in attendance, masking, etc., we will follow such guidance to the best of our ability.
- Our foremost concern is for the safety of our members and their families. This is especially concerning since our membership tends to skew older, where the risks of severe and/or prolonged illness, or death, are factually greater.
- It is the WPW’s current commitment to always make the content of our physical meetings available to all members via our virtual meeting WebEx platform, but especially to those who do not wish to, or are not allowed to, attend physical meetings.
- For those members who do wish to attend a physical meeting, we ask that you abstain from attending if you are feeling unwell or know that you have recently been in contact with a person who has Covid and may be contagious.
- If you have recently tested positive for Covid, we ask that you not attend a meeting if your initial positive test or onset of symptoms occurred within five days of the meeting. After this five-day period, the CDC guidelines suggest that you are unlikely to still be shedding the virus, but call for you to please wear a mask for the next five days when near non-related people.
- For those members who feel the need to wear a mask for their own personal safety, we will have a supply of disposable 3-ply surgical masks available (generally, these are placed right next to the coffee and donuts!) for anyone who wants one.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or other comments.