Emergency Operating Plan for COVID-19

Emergency Operating Plan

for COVID-19 Pandemic 2020

The following procedures will be implemented in order to begin opening the Church for services with limited attendance from parishioners:

Attendance

The number of attendees allowed at any given service will be set in coordination with His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos. This number will include priest, chanter, neokoros, altar servers, and parish council members needed to perform the service and to manage the admission of attendees.
The number of attendees allowed will be strictly adhered to.

Registration

Anyone who wishes to attend a service must register through the Google Form that will be set up for this purpose and posted on the Parish Website and Facebook. To register, attendees must provide full name and contact information so that, in the event of an outbreak, all attendees may be notified.
Parishioners who cannot access the online registration may call the parish office, and the parish administrator will enter the necessary information into the Google Form on their behalf.
Those wishing to attend Sunday Divine Liturgy must register by 5.00 pm Friday. For other daily liturgies, registration must be received by 5.00 pm two days before.
The attendees for each service will be selected from the registration on a first-come, first-served basis and will be notified by the parish office which service they may attend.
A sign-in sheet of those chosen for each service will be printed and used at the door. No one who is not listed on the sheet may enter the building.
Anyone who registers and confirms to attend a service but fails to attend will be given last priority for future services and will only have the opportunity to register for another service after all other registrants have had the opportunity to attend.
Priority for attendance will be given to members of St. Demetrios.
Priority for attendance will be given to families needing to hold 40-day memorials. The Church will reserve at least 10 places for the family.

Personnel

The following personnel will be needed to ensure the proper functioning of the service:
Priest
Neokoros, wearing face mask when interacting with attendees (during the distribution of Holy Communion and Antidoron)
Maximum 2 Altar Servers over age 18, wearing face mask when interacting with attendees (during the distribution of Holy Communion and Antidoron)
Maximum 2 Chanters
Minimum of Three Parish Council Members (Front Door, Narthex, Usher), all wearing face masks throughout the duration of the service.

Sign-In

Attendees may only enter through the front doors of the Church. There will be no other access points.
One parish council member will stand outside the front door of the church with the sign-in sheet and admit only those who are registered. Families may not bring extra members that they have not listed on their registration.
The parish council member with the sign-in sheet must also confirm that each person entering has not experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 and has not knowingly been exposed to someone carrying the virus.
The parish council member will open the door for the family so that they do not have to touch the handles.

Narthex

A station for hand sanitizer will be posted at the entrance to the Narthex. Attendees must disinfect their hands upon entering the building.
One parish council member will man the narthex and pangaria and ensure that attendees do not try to visit parts of the building other than the narthex and the sanctuary.
The only exception to this will be to visit the bathroom located in the Greek School. The parish council member will permit only one person at a time to leave the narthex for the bathrooms. Parents may take children to the bathroom if necessary. Elderly attendees with mobility issues may be accompanied by one other adult.
This parish council member must also periodically wipe down the surfaces of the pangari and icons with disinfectant.
A second parish council member will serve as the usher to guide attendees to their seat.
Signs will be posted in the Narthex instructing attendees 1) to observe social distancing of 6 ft. (2 m.) and 2) not to kiss icons.
Interior doors between Narthex and Nave will be left open at all times.

Seating

Ushers will escort attendees to a seat and will begin from the front pew and then work their way to the back. Attendees will not sit wherever they wish.
Every other pew will be roped off.
Families may sit together in a pew, but must sit a minimum of 6 feet from any other family.
Attendees will wear a face mask at all times, except when receiving Holy Communion.
Children may not leave their families to roam the Church. Any family who does not keep their children seated with them may be dismissed from the service.

Holy Communion

The traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion from the Common Spoon has not changed.
Those who wish to receive Holy Communion will leave their pew only when dismissed by an usher, who will ensure that there are not too many people gathered in the communion line.
Families must keep a 6 ft. distance from one another in the Communion line.
The Neokoros and Altar Servers will wear face masks while assisting with Holy Communion.
Communicants will remove their face masks only at the time of receiving Holy Communion and will put them back on immediately afterwards.
The Neokoros or an Altar Server will hand antidoron to those who have received Holy Communion. No one will reach into the basket to take his own antidoron.

Exiting the Church

At the conclusion of the service, the Neokoros or Altar Server will distribute the Antidoron in small plastic bags.
After receiving antidoron, attendees must proceed immediately out of the Church.
Two Parish Council members will stand in the Narthex with an offering basket so that attendees may make their offering as they exit the building.

After the Service

After all attendees have exited the building, the Parish Council members will do a final disinfection of the Narthex.
The Neokoros will clean the altar area.
The Janitor will disinfect the pews and the sanctuary of the Church, as well as the bathrooms located in the Greek School.
Any attendee who tests positive for COVID-19 within two weeks of attending the Divine Liturgy must notify the Church Office so that we may inform the others present that day.

Emergency Operating Plan

for COVID-19 Pandemic 2020

The following procedures will be implemented in order to begin opening the Church for services with limited attendance from parishioners:

Attendance

The number of attendees allowed at any given service will be set in coordination with His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos. This number will include priest, chanter, neokoros, altar servers, and parish council members needed to perform the service and to manage the admission of attendees.

The number of attendees allowed will be strictly adhered to.

Registration

Anyone who wishes to attend a service must register through the Google Form that will be set up for this purpose and posted on the Parish Website and Facebook. To register, attendees must provide full name and contact information so that, in the event of an outbreak, all attendees may be notified.

Parishioners who cannot access the online registration may call the parish office, and the parish administrator will enter the necessary information into the Google Form on their behalf.

Those wishing to attend Sunday Divine Liturgy must register by 5.00 pm Friday. For other daily liturgies, registration must be received by 5.00 pm two days before.

The attendees for each service will be selected from the registration on a first-come, first-served basis and will be notified by the parish office which service they may attend.

A sign-in sheet of those chosen for each service will be printed and used at the door. No one who is not listed on the sheet may enter the building.

Anyone who registers and confirms to attend a service but fails to attend will be given last priority for future services and will only have the opportunity to register for another service after all other registrants have had the opportunity to attend.

Priority for attendance will be given to members of St. Demetrios.

Priority for attendance will be given to families needing to hold 40-day memorials. The Church will reserve at least 10 places for the family.

Personnel

The following personnel will be needed to ensure the proper functioning of the service:

Priest

Neokoros, wearing face mask when interacting with attendees (during the distribution of Holy Communion and Antidoron)

Maximum 2 Altar Servers over age 18, wearing face mask when interacting with attendees (during the distribution of Holy Communion and Antidoron)

Maximum 2 Chanters

Minimum of Three Parish Council Members (Front Door, Narthex, Usher), all wearing face masks throughout the duration of the service.

Sign-In

Attendees may only enter through the front doors of the Church. There will be no other access points.

One parish council member will stand outside the front door of the church with the sign-in sheet and admit only those who are registered. Families may not bring extra members that they have not listed on their registration.

The parish council member with the sign-in sheet must also confirm that each person entering has not experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 and has not knowingly been exposed to someone carrying the virus.

The parish council member will open the door for the family so that they do not have to touch the handles.

Narthex

A station for hand sanitizer will be posted at the entrance to the Narthex. Attendees must disinfect their hands upon entering the building.

One parish council member will man the narthex and pangaria and ensure that attendees do not try to visit parts of the building other than the narthex and the sanctuary.

This parish council member must also periodically wipe down the surfaces of the pangari and icons with disinfectant.

A second parish council member will serve as the usher to guide attendees to their seat.

Signs will be posted in the Narthex instructing attendees 1) to observe social distancing of 6 ft. (2 m.) and 2) not to kiss icons.

Interior doors between Narthex and Nave will be left open at all times.

Seating

Ushers will escort attendees to a seat and will begin from the front pew and then work their way to the back. Attendees will not sit wherever they wish.

Every other pew will be roped off.

Families may sit together in a pew, but must sit a minimum of 6 feet from any other family.

Attendees will wear a face mask at all times, except when receiving Holy Communion.

Children may not leave their families to roam the Church. Any family who does not keep their children seated with them may be dismissed from the service.

Holy Communion

The traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion from the Common Spoon has not changed.

Those who wish to receive Holy Communion will leave their pew only when dismissed by an usher, who will ensure that there are not too many people gathered in the communion line.

Families must keep a 6 ft. distance from one another in the Communion line.

The Neokoros and Altar Servers will wear face masks while assisting with Holy Communion.

Communicants will remove their face masks only at the time of receiving Holy Communion and will put them back on immediately afterwards.

The Neokoros or an Altar Server will hand antidoron to those who have received Holy Communion. No one will reach into the basket to take his own antidoron.

Exiting the Church

At the conclusion of the service, the Neokoros or Altar Server will distribute the Antidoron in small plastic bags.

After receiving antidoron, attendees must proceed immediately out of the Church.

Two Parish Council members will stand in the Narthex with an offering basket so that attendees may make their offering as they exit the building.

After the Service

After all attendees have exited the building, the Parish Council members will do a final disinfection of the Narthex.

The Neokoros will clean the altar area.

The Janitor will disinfect the pews and the sanctuary of the Church, as well as the bathrooms located in the Greek School.

Any attendee who tests positive for COVID-19 within two weeks of attending the Divine Liturgy must notify the Church Office so that we may inform the others present that day.